Fire and Ice
by Tawnia
Summary: The hunt for the dragons is on. Gray might have his friends by his side, but this journey could very well be his last. Just how far will he go to achieve his goals? In the meantime, Natsu has his own personal demons to deal with. Natsu/Gray
1. At Death's Door

**Disclaimer: **I do not own. The image used as the story cover does not belong to me.

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><p><strong>1. At Death's Door<strong>

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><p><strong>April, X784<br>**Two days ago****

The air was freezing cold, the temperatures dipping well below twenty degrees celsius. The forest clearing had been transformed from a lush, colourful setting in spring time to a mercilessly arctic landscape in winter. The snowy surroundings glittered brilliantly under the afternoon sunlight, the ice resisting the sun's heat and persisting in retaining its solid form.

"This... is the true power of ice; solid and unyielding, even in the face of the hottest fire." Coal-black eyes flicked lazily to a body lying prone and motionless on the snow-covered grass. "The real form, the ultimate form of ice mages, was something even Ur had never discovered. Even though there were plenty of hints about its existence throughout our journey. I'm sure you know what I mean. Your hot-headed friend is one example of the fire mages' ultimate technique."

Ice-blue lips curled into a victorious smirk. "At long last I have achieved my goal. I have undoubtedly surpassed Ur beyond even my wildest dreams." Bare arms flung out to embrace the blazing sky. The cold, swirling winds around the man increased in speed and velocity as he drew on his full power.

"Behold, the ice dragon!"

The wind shrieked and howled, whipping snow and ice into the air, morphing into a full-blown blizzard. The force of the winds flattened trees almost horizontal and the pelting ice shards digging into any object it made contact with. Plants and animals shrivelled and died as the temperatures dropped even further, beyond habitable conditions. Dark sapphire eyes narrowed against the lashing fury of the winds, straining to see what was hidden within the snowstorm. As the winds began to disperse, it slowly unveiled the silhouette of an immense being crouched in the heart of the blizzard. The dark sapphire eyes widened. Could it be...?

A tremendous roar shook the entire forest and dislodged icicles from where they hung from the tree branches, sinking deep into the snow. The force of the roar dispelled the remaining snow and ice that was swirling around, finally revealing the titanic creature for what it was. Its shimmering white scales shone in the bright sunlight, while ivory fangs and talons gleamed in all their deadly majesty. Translucent white wings unfurled and extended towards the spring sky as a slender, tapering tail lashed out, smashing straight through a copse of pine trees like paper.

"Behold the mighty ice dragon, my soon-to-be-deceased little junior." The introduction was accompanied by a toothy smirk that show-cased the ice dragon's impressive array of fangs arranged in its enormous maw.

The boy sprawled on the snow stirred and slowly, painfully, propped himself up on his elbows. Then, using his hands, he pushed himself upwards until he was in a sitting position. His dark blue eyes were no longer wide, but were half-lidded and emotionless. Looking unflinchingly into the ice dragon's cold eyes, he said, "Lyon, you are an incorrigible bastard, you know that?" Then he was up and running towards Lyon. Despite the countless wounds all over his exhausted body, the boy cocked his fists and leapt at the great beast.

A huge paw swung out with blinding speed, catching the boy square in the chest and sending him crashing into the frozen undergrowth a good thirty yards away. There was a small crunching sound as the ice dragon calmly placed his paw back down on the snow and regarded the fallen boy. "As weak and pathetic as before, I see." His voice was deeper and rougher than usual, as befitting the titanic and deep-chested dragon form he had taken on. "And here I thought I would be in for a good fight. You have not improved much since Oración Seis. I could say you've gotten weaker instead, Gray Fullbuster."

Gray crawled out of the bushes, teeth gritted against the pain. He struggled to his feet, finding an inevitable need to lean against a tree trunk for support. His throat and stomach suddenly felt like they were aflame, instigating him to double over and retch out the contents of his stomach. Blood splattered obscenely against the pristine white snow at his feet. Wiping blood off his mouth with his fingers, his cheeks burned at the shame of this show of weakness he was giving to his former classmate.

The ice dragon laughed, a great rumbling sound. "Tsk, tsk. Just a short flight into the dirt and already you are wounded? You disappoint me, Gray. I expected more."

The raven-haired teenager looked up, eyes slitted with anger. "You disgust me, Lyon. Your dragon form against a boy – how honorable a fight is that?"

Lyon the ice dragon only clicked a talon against the scaly back of his other paw. "Then _make_ it honorable, Gray." He answered, a mocking edge to his gravelly voice. "Take on your dragon form."

At that, Gray found that he was suddenly unable to meet the other's gaze. His hands clenched into fists.

Lyon roared in laughter. "You cannot, am I right? You don't know how. You didn't even know about the ultimate Ice technique!" His voice was dripping with derision. "You are a weakling and an ignoramus, Gray. It's really too bad, but you'll just have to suck it up."

Gray clenched his fists even harder as the other spoke, his blood boiling with anger at the dismissive words. He was not a weakling, damnit. But this fight... the odds were greatly against him. Then his pale lips curled into a grim smile as a thought entered his mind. Since when had he ever stopped to consider the probability of losing to Lyon? It was preposterous. Less thinking, more fighting – the master's and everyone else's lives were at stake. He had to stop Lyon before he entered Magnolia Town.

"Ice-make: Ice Blade!" Two white-blue blades fashioned out of ice materialised at his arms and he dove forwards, heading for Lyon. "Seven Slice Dance!"

_Please work... this attack **has** to land!_

Lyon spun around with lightning speed. Gray had only time to register a blur of movement before a sturdy tail slammed into him, disintegrating his ice blades and sending him flying face-first into the snow. When he braced himself against the ground and tried to rise, a jolt of pain paralysed his right side. With a howl of agony his arms gave out, causing him to flop back down on his stomach. _Shit_, he thought. _Lyon's tail got me real good... I must have broken a rib or two_. He raised his head slowly, glaring murderously at his adversary.

The ice dragon looked down at him disdainfully. "What a boring fight. But I guess that's expected of a born loser." The massive white head turned in the direction of Magnolia Town. "However, I'm sure your master will provide me with adequate entertainment." Again came the wicked, toothy grin. "Now, watch me as I raze your town and guild to the ground. Watch me as I surpass Ur again and again!"

Gray had barely been listening to the other's nonsense. He had surreptitiously slid his hand down to his right side of his ribcage and fused the broken ribs together with ice. It was only a temporary measure, but there was no time to lie around. As Lyon ended his speech, Gray sprang to his feet, ignoring the twinges of pain he felt. His dark blue eyes shone with an icy determination. "Lyon!" He spat. "If sacrificing myself is really necessary to stop your madness once and for all, then so be it!"

"Ice-make: Freeze!" Gray roared, plunging his bloody hands into the snow. Thick, solid ice crackled into existence, spreading rapidly from his hands in Lyon's direction. The ice cut a glittering path straight towards Lyon, attaching itself to his four paws and climbing upwards steadily, beginning the encompassing of his draconic body. "Ice-make: Prison!" An elaborate cage made of ice crashed down around Lyon, trapping him within it. With the ice dragon momentarily frozen in place, Gray swept both arms forward, crossing them at the wrists. Breathing in deeply at what he was about to do, he murmured, "Farewell, my friends. Natsu, Erza, Cana, Lucy, everyone... This is the last thing I can and will do for all of you."

"Ice-make: Ice Shell!"

Immediately the winds picked up speed and created a mini vortex around him, with him in the centre. He cried out as the spell activated, his overwhelming and unshakable will to destroy Lyon was consuming his magical energy at a critical rate. Still, he forged on.

Lyon swung his serpentine head down towards him, peering from between the white-blue bars of the cage, his huge black pupils dilated with fury. "Fool!" He roared. "That cannot kill me!" With a mighty heave, he broke free of the ice restraints and shattered the cage. His massive white wings flapped downwards as he leapt into the air, zipping upwards into the sky.

Gray screamed as the increasing distance between his spell's target and himself caused his magical energy to decrease drastically. _More, some more!_ He poured all his power into the spell, desperately trying to form Ice Shell before Lyon flew out of range. A terrible, sky-shattering roar told him he had succeeded in what he was trying to do; encasing the other's wings in ice and preventing him from flying any further. Bolstered by this fact, he mentally flung himself into the spell, giving himself up for the completion of Ice Shell.

_This is for you, Ur._

He could feel his body melting away into ice for the spell. The pain was crippling his nervous system, sending him to his knees. He soldiered on despite that, putting his all and his will into the spell. His eyes fluttered shut as his body begun to wither, his life force draining out of him.

"GRAY!" Erza, and Lucy.

"YOU IDIOT!" Natsu.

A body crashed into his, sending him sprawling on to the snow, breaking his concentration and the spell. There was cool, rigid metal pressed against his skin. "Hard," he mumbled, dazed. But he felt strangely disappointed that Ice Shell had been interrupted; now Lyon would escape and be free to continue with his insanity. Arms locked around him and drew him into multiple embraces. He tried to speak but found that he was unable to.

"You stupid idiot," growled Erza's irate voice at one ear. He did not know which, though – his brush with death had left him half-delirious. "G-Gray!" sounded Lucy's trembling voice at the other ear. A burningly warm hand grasped at his, its grip strong and unwavering. He almost smiled.

Natsu.

The pair of armored arms withdrew and Erza said, "I will beat that damned dragon to death now." Gray felt her presence disappear as she shot towards her fleeing target with incredible speed. He knew by instinct that she had donned her Ice Empress outfit, her most suitable armor against Ice beings. At a whispered word, the second pair of arms also retracted, only to be replaced by an inferno of warmth and comfort. He did not have to see to know who it was.

"Natsu," he tried to say, but his lips only moved and nothing emerged.

"I've got you," came a familiar voice roughened with relief and torment. The owner of the voice tightened his hold around him. "I've got you now, droopy-eyes." Fingers ran through his hair and stroked his ebony locks gently. The edges of Gray's lips twitched slightly as his ravaged nervous system tried to send a neural message to his mouth to smile.

He was at death's door and he knew it and he couldn't have cared less. With some effort, he managed to crack both eyes open. He stared up at Natsu's and Lucy's tear-stained faces. Again he tried to speak and again he failed to. Part of his body had already been sacrificed to the Ice Shell spell as ice. When he met his best friend's gaze he felt saddened by the grief he saw in those onyx eyes. He wanted to say that it would be fine, that he would not have died in vain if Natsu would help Erza defeat Lyon. Natsu in his dragon form would be a fearsome opponent, maybe even more powerful than Erza now. He wanted to make sure Lyon could never endanger the lives of his friends again.

Natsu's eyes widened as he realised Gray was trying to tell him something, but was unable to for some reason. He looked up at a distraught Lucy. "Get Warren, hurry!"

The blonde girl nodded distractedly and took off in the direction of Fairy Tail, activating one of her keys at the same time. "Open the Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" Summoning one of her Celestial Spirits, Taurus, she ordered him to quickly carry her back to the guild.

When Natsu glanced back down at Gray, he was worried to see how pale his best friend had become. His lips were bloodied and his body was shivering slightly, despite being an ice mage. Hesitating briefly, the boy cupped his friend's face with a hand and increased the temperature of that hand by a few degrees celsius. After a moment's thought, he hugged his injured friend closer to his chest. Hopefully his body heat would help warm Gray up and delay his body from deteriorating further.

"You stupid idiot," whispered Natsu, taking in his friend's bruised and broken form. He buried his face in soft, black hair. "Don't you dare die on me, Gray."

Gray closed his eyes and slipped under the darkness.

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><p>So, this is my first Fairy Tail fanfiction and I'm not sure how good it really is. If you think it has potential, review and let me know! :D<p> 


	2. Shackled By Darkness

**2. Shackled By Darkness**

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><p><strong>April, X784<br>Present**

It must have been the third or fourth time that Gray had tried to sacrifice himself for a battle.

Needless to say, nobody was pleased about that. Several people, particularly Erza, Lucy and Cana, were staring rather furiously at him for that – though he knew their anger stemmed from their love and concern for him, as cheesy as that might sound. They were gathered in the cafe of Fairy Tail, with Erza being in charge of them due to Makarov being absent at the moment. Seated to his right was Natsu, his mouth a thin, unhappy line. On his left was Warren. Opposite him were Erza, Lucy and Levy. The rest of Fairy Tail crowded around their table.

"That was incredibly stupid, Gray, even for you!" Erza slammed a gauntlet down on the wooden table, making the surrounding people jump and edge away. The redheaded mage in a rage was something no one wished to be caught in. The ice mage frowned slightly at his lap. That sounded very much like an insult.

Lucy gripped his hand then. He looked up, startled, and was surprised to see her eyes brimming with tears. "Gray, don't ever, ever do such a thing again." Beside the blonde girl, Levy nodded and reached out to hold his other hand. His gaze lowered. He could not bring himself to look anyone in the eyes, although he was of two minds about his actions.

So far, Natsu had remained silent.

Gray cast a quick glance at Warren, who blinked in understanding and placed a hand on his shoulder. Warren's telepathic abilities allowed him to serve as a medium in broadcasting his thoughts to everyone in the guild. They had resorted to this tactic as the ice mage was unable to talk, having damaged his vocal cords.

**I am sorry for frightening everyone like that, **Gray said in his mind. From the way the people at the periphery of their gathering started in surprise, he knew Warren was projecting his thoughts into the minds of all those within range. **But there was no other way to stop Lyon. He has become too powerful. You all know how Erza's fight with him ended in a draw. Natsu could barely defeat him. And Lyon still managed to escape.** His hands were clasped together like in prayer and he squeezed them from time to time. **I have to seal him with Ice Shell. It is the only way.**

"Juvia disagrees," spoke up a voice.

Gray twisted around on his bench to see the girl walking towards him. "There is another way." Juvia stopped beside the wooden table. "Juvia can defeat Lyon. Juvia is willing to give up her life to destroy Lyon for Gray-sama." He began to speak but Cana beat him to it. "No, Juvia!" The woman looked horrified. "I will not allow you to do that!"

**I will not allow it either, Juvia,** said Gray. The blue-haired girl had not taken her gaze off him. He could see the agony in her eyes. He steeled himself to continue. **Lyon was my mistake. It is my fault that he has become like this. If anything, it is my responsibility to defeat him and prevent him from taking more innocent lives. I must use Ice Shell.**

"There is absolutely no need for anyone to die in order to destroy Lyon," seethed Erza, her eyes dark with fury as they bore into him and Juvia. "This is an order. I will kill anyone who disobeys this order."

More than one person simultaneously trembled in fear and rolled their eyes at her words and the irony of them. But everyone agreed with her logic – except one. Gray sighed mentally and stood up. Warren stood, too, to keep his hand on his shoulder. His friends' personal feelings were getting in his way and theirs. They could not see that he had to be the one to destroy Lyon – and it had to be him and only him. It simply felt so wrong and selfish that anybody else but him would have to die for Lyon's mistakes. He did not think he would be able to take it if any of his friends lost their lives because of Lyon. He would be ridden with guilt.

Apparently his persuasion was not making an impression on his comrades. He had to try a different tact. Maybe if he made them too annoyed and irritated with his foolhardiness for them to bother with him anymore...?

**Please do not stop me,** muttered Gray. **This is my fight and my decision. I will fight Lyon however I feel like it.**

"Gray!" Erza barked his name like a warning. "I forbid you from–"

**If anybody wants to aid me in my fight, I am fine with that,** Gray interrupted. He ignored the red-haired girl's death glare. Nobody lived forever. Everyone had to die in the end. It was a question of when and how. **But we cannot avoid the fact that the only way to stop Lyon is by using Ice Shell. All I have to do is cast that spell and countless lives would be spared. This isn't about self-gratification or personal feuds – this is about responsibility. This is about protecting Fairy Tail from my past.** His mental voice was shaking a little by this point. **You people could at least understand that.**

"All I understand is that you're being stupid," muttered Gajeel from where he sat a little away.

"If you are a Man, you are a Man!" Elfman agreed.

"Please, Gray," pleaded Lucy. "Spare a thought for us, your friends. How do you think we would feel if you were to die – when we could have prevented your death but did not because we failed to convince you?"

Gray looked angry. **So, now, this is an issue of personal feelings?** He swung himself over his bench with Warren following close behind. He glared at the sea of faces. **In a battle, that is the last thing to consider!**

Everyone stared at the ice mage in astonishment. They were shocked further when Natsu rose, turned and punched Gray hard in the stomach. The raven-haired boy let out a pained gasp and would have fallen to the ground if Warren had not caught him in time. Juvia was there in an instant. She flung out her arms, shielding Gray with her body and snarling in Natsu's face. "Juvia will not let you hurt Gray-sama, even if she does not support Gray-sama's decisions!"

There was a tense silence.

Natsu raised his hand and slowly but forcefully pushed her aside. Then the fire and ice mages were facing each other directly. They traded dark looks. The dragon slayer lifted his hand and gripped the front of the other's shirt strongly. "You idiot," hissed the fire mage, small flames flickering on the surface of his skin at the intensity of his fury. "Have you forgotten what I told you on Galuna island? Do my words mean so little to you?"

"In a battle, the _only_ thing that matters is personal feelings!"

Gray's dark eyes widened at the blaze of emotions he saw in his best friend's obsidian eyes. For a moment, he was conflicted. His actions had caused his comrades so much grief and trouble. But he had meant what he said about not letting personal feelings get in the way of a fight. It was personal feelings that had led his beloved teacher, Ur, to die for him. It was also personal feelings that had transformed Lyon into the monster he was now.

Gently but firmly, he separated himself from the other boy. Natsu stood there staring at him, flaming fists clenched at his side. Looking around at his guild's anxious faces, he said quietly, **I'm really sorry, but I have to find Lyon and defeat him with Ice Shell. Please do not interfere with my decision.** Then he turned and fled.

Stunned, everyone watched him run out of the cafe. "That idiot...!" Erza roared, leaping up and preparing to physically drag Gray back. Natsu stopped her before she could Requip into another armor. "I'll go find him, and if really necessary, help him fight Lyon," he growled, eyes ablaze. Erza regarded him for a few seconds before something akin to amusement crept into her eyes.

"Natsu. You are planning to take on your own dragon form, aren't you?" She shook her head in exasperation. "Though I must say I am more at ease knowing you will be accompanying Gray." She walked over to where he stood and put her hand on his shoulder in an approving gesture. "Quickly, follow and keep that idiot safe. We're counting on you."

Natsu nodded and was about to move off when Lucy flung a hand into the air and cried out, "I'm going with them, too!"

Happy fluttered into the air. "We are _all_ going!"

A roar of consent sounded throughout the guild. Natsu glanced indecisively at Erza, who calmly told the rest, "I think it would be better if only Natsu went along with Gray."

"Juvia wants to know why?" Juvia demanded.

Erza's cold glare effectively quelled any objections. She had a feeling there was something to be settled in private between the ice mage and dragon slayer. She had no idea what it was, but judging from Natsu's strange behaviour just now, she intuitively knew it was something fairly important to the two of them. She motioned for the fire mage to go. Natsu was free to exit the cafe and run after their foolish comrade.

As he ran, he remembered what Gray had told him about his past. Ur had been like a mother and Lyon had been like an older brother. They had been with him since Deliora, the demon of destruction, had obliterated his town and family. Gray had treasured them greatly, even if he would not admit as much about Lyon. One particular sentence Ur had told Gray was branded in his mind.

_I will seal your darkness, for you._

It was clear there was new darkness in Gray's life.

Lyon.

He sighed heavily in frustration. He should have exterminated Lyon while he had the chance back on Galuna island. It was obvious nobody could have successfully repented and put aside one's burning ambition of eight years in mere days. Now Lyon was back, his thirst for power stronger than ever. Because of that white-haired bastard, Gray had almost died and Erza had been quite injured. He bared his teeth. Nobody could hurt his friends and get away with it.

Natsu could see that Gray was emotionally wounded. He was shackled to the past by this darkness that was Lyon. He had not wanted Fairy Tail to help because he felt obliged to destroy Lyon himself. He felt that it was his fault that Lyon was now terrorising Earthland and killing off innocents. He felt guilty that his friends and other people had been hurt because he failed to make Lyon into a better person. Knowing Gray, he obviously felt that giving up his life would be the sincerest way to repay Ul and Fairy Tail and the world in general for Lyon's sins. Like he repeatedly said so, he felt responsible.

"Stupid guy," he muttered. "Can't that idiot see that dying is the last thing he should do?"

Natsu decided that since Ul was no longer in this world, he would have to be the one to seal Gray's darkness for him.

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><p>Sooo... I'm still uncertain as to whether I should continue with this story or not. I've got a pretty decent plot in my head for this, but I need to know if you readers like where this is going. Tell me if you do, yes? c:<p> 


	3. Hyperthermia

**3. Hyperthermia**

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><p>Natsu stormed into Gray's apartment through the window.<p>

His eyes widened at what he saw. His friend's home was nearly empty, having been cleared of most of his belongings. In the middle of the small hall was a pile of neatly packed boxes, no doubt containing the belongings. He clambered down from the window sill and saw Gray turn to face him. They looked at each other wordlessly for a while before Gray averted his gaze and continued arranging some of his possessions into a backpack.

"Gray," he said quietly. When his friend did not even look up, he said louder, "Gray!" And then he wished Warren was here with them now – for the ice mage had merely glanced up briefly, his expression showing clearly what he thought of Natsu's insistence that he answered.

He sheepishly scratched his head. "Uh. Sorry. I forgot you can't talk..."

His friend shot him a I'm-not-surprised look and proceeded to zip up one of his backpack's pockets securely. Natsu frowned and went forwards. "Hey, Gray..." The dark-haired boy tilted his head questioningly. He reached out to close his fingers around the other's wrists. "I – I'm sorry I hit you earlier." He brought his friend's hand up to his chest. "Here, you can punch me back."

As expected, he got a roll of eyes in reply. He chuckled – then staggered back in surprise as Gray's fist connected solidly with his skin. He stumbled backwards at the impact. He rubbed his aching chest gingerly and threw the other boy a faintly reproachful look. "Man, I didn't think you would actually do that."

Gray smirked, his dark sapphire eyes expressing how much of an idiot he thought Natsu was.

He smirked back and promptly crushed his friend to him in a fierce hug. "Thinking of leaving without me?" He murmured in the other's ear. "Not a chance, droopy-eyes." The dark-haired boy began to struggle, trying to break free. He hugged Gray even tighter, restricting his movements. The other boy's skin felt cool. Maybe that was because the other was an ice mage, so he had a lower base temperature. Or it could be because he was a fire mage and his body temperature was higher than the average human's. Either way, he did not think he wanted to let go.

"Erza is going to kill you, you know." He sighed, his chin resting on the other's shoulder. The hands splayed against Gray's bare back started to unconsciously stroke the plane of smooth skin in a comforting manner. He only realised his actions when the boy in his arms stiffened and ice crystals began to bridge the little gap between them, latching on to him. With a yelp he released the ice mage from his embrace. The ice was dislodged and met the wooden floors with a light tinkling sound. He scowled at Gray, who scowled back and waggled a forefinger reprovingly.

Both noticed their scowls lacked conviction.

Natsu rubbed at the chilly areas on his skin. He watched as Gray conjured a solid ice tablet out of thin air in his hand. Before his amazed gaze, letters began to form on the surface of the tablet. His friend was removing ice from the tablet in shapes approximate to the desired letters. The letters spelled out a sentence: **I can talk to you better this way.**

The dragon slayer grinned inwardly at the other boy's ingenuity. Creation magic, indeed! Trying not to show how impressed he was, he glanced around at the bare apartment and asked, "So, why are you moving out? Where are you going?"

**I am going on a journey to become stronger,** wrote Gray. His brow was furrowed as he concentrated on etching out the characters on the tablet with his magic.

"How? To become stronger, I mean."

**I will train under a dragon.**

The fire mage stared at his friend, dumbstruck. "Under a dragon?" He exclaimed. "But there are no dragons in Earthland. They've all disappeared. There's no way you will be able to find one."

**Lyon has and he will show me where the ice dragons are.**

Natsu shivered a little at the threat behind the words. It looked like Gray was not going to accept a "No" from Lyon. He was taken aback at his friend's answer though. "The dragons are still around? They're alive?"

**Yes.** Gray's sapphire eyes met his, showing understanding at what he intended to ask. **Lyon is now an ice dragon slayer. He has to have trained under a dragon if he is. That is why I am leaving. To find Lyon. After that I will find an ice dragon.** The surface of the ice tablet smoothened out. Gray was replacing the ice as there was no space for more words to be etched out. Letters started appearing again after a second or two. **If I find out anything about Igneel and his whereabouts, I will definitely tell you.**

But Natsu was not too bothered about finding Igneel for right now he was more concerned about Gray. "But in your condition, wouldn't it be dangerous to journey by yourself?"

The ice mage raised an eyebrow and wrote: **I can most certainly take care of myself, thank you very much.**

He frowned at the sarcastic tone. He did not like what Gray wanted to do. Try as he might, he could not deny that the thought of the dark-haired boy travelling alone in his vulnerable state made him feel exceedingly uncomfortable. He could almost name this unusual feeling as protectiveness. "No, that won't do," he declared. "I'm going with you."

Gray bristled, obviously unhappy with that. **No,** he wrote. **You will stay here. What if Lyon decides to attack again? Who will defend Fairy Tail?**

"Erza can handle him!" He argued, although when he met his friend's gaze he knew that they both knew reality was the exact opposite of his claim. The last skirmish with Lyon – only two days ago – proved that. Only Natsu had any hope against Lyon in his ice-dragon form at all. "Or... or Gildarts. We could try and ask him to come back to Fairy Tail – and we have Wendy and Gajeel to help." Just then, he remembered something and his eyes lit up. "Gray, we still have gramps! Gramps can definitely beat Lyon to a pulp."

The ice mage's response to that was so instantaneous that he instinctively opened his mouth to speak, forgetting that he could not. With an irritated glare in Natsu's direction, he shoved the tablet in the fire mage's face, writing, **No! Do not bother the master with a trivial issue such as this.**

"What?" Natsu demanded, unable to believe his eyes at what his friend was saying. Lyon – trivial? Ridiculous! Erza had been wounded badly and he himself had quite a tough time beating the man. Lyon was a problem that was anything but trivial. But the dark-haired boy looked at him critically through narrowed eyes, as though re-evaluating his opinions on his intelligence.

"What?" He demanded again, this time defensively.

Gray sighed and wrote: **What if the dark guilds, or even the Seven Kin of Purgatory, came after us again? Only with Gramps can we defend Fairy Tail, and even then, barely!**

He bit his lip. Gray was right. Compared to Lyon, that would be cause for greater concern and needed to be addressed first. Master Makarov needed to conserve his magical power for the critical fights, for the battles that really mattered. If that was the case, then he and Erza would have to be the ones to stay and defend Fairy Tail in the mean time. Gray would have to go on his journey alone.

But he still refused to entertain the idea of his friend playing hide and seek with Lyon and dragons in his current state. He felt uneasy at the thought of Gray wandering around strange lands all by himself. Not to mention if he were to truly find an ice dragon. He knew very well how volatile and temperamental dragons could be, as well as their low tolerance towards humans. Not all dragons were as benevolent as Igneel or even Metalicana, Gajeel's dragon mentor.

"Gray, you do know there is a ninety-nine percent chance that an ice dragon – if you even find one – would kill you rather than take you under its wing, figuratively speaking?" Natsu crossed his arms over his chest and gave the other boy a hard stare. "Most dragons regard us humans as inferior and cannot be bothered to interact with us. Unless you find the dragon that trained Lyon, it's highly unlikely a dragon will consent to train you. Plus, a real dragon is much stronger than a dragon slayer's dragon form. You'll be dead before you could even ask it anything!"

**And you know I don't care.**

He twitched at Gray's careless reply. His friend did not seem to be taking the consequences of his decision seriously. It was quite unlike the dark-haired teenager, whom he knew to be a sensible person. What's more, his advice was much food for thought as he knew considerably more about dragons than Gray did. But the ice mage seemed unreceptive at the moment. His desire to hunt down and defeat Lyon with his own hands was clouding his mind.

"Well, then, at least bring Lucy or Wendy along. Heck, you could even have Gajeel go with you! As long you aren't journeying alone, anything's fine!"

**This I have to do alone.**

With that, Gray vanished the ice tablet, signalling the end of their conversation. He watched as his friend went about his packing silently, not meeting his gaze even once. He felt anger growing within him at the other's senseless tenacity. This left him with no choice. Stupid actions of friends required drastic measures – he would have to verbally and physically restrain Gray!

"Gray," he growled. "Stop your idiocy or I'll have no choice but to knock you out and kidnap you back to Fairy Tail!" At that, the ice mage instantly jerked his head up in his direction. A challenge shone in the other's sapphire eyes: _I dare you_.

Natsu scowled. Gray was really pushing it, wasn't he? It was common knowledge that the dragon slayer would not hesitate to pick a fight with the ice mage – who was both his best friend and arch rival – and vice versa. Though Gray was currently being unusually daft, both mages were more or less equally wilful. Worse case scenario would find their conversation degenerating into a brawl. He did not want that to happen. Not now, anyway.

"At least bring someone along with you," he insisted.

Gray shook his head, pursing his lips. Natsu ground his teeth together, trying not to put a fist through that dim-witted head of his infuriatingly obstinate friend. He was hanging on to the last shreds of his patience. "Gray," he warned. His tone was sinister enough to set bells ringing and get it into his friend's head that he was being deadly serious about this.

The raven-haired boy's response was to raise a scathing eyebrow, shrug on his backpack and saunter out of the hall.

"Damn you, Gray!" Natsu fumed. "You leave me with no other options! You made me do this!" A fiery magic circle expanded around his hand as he prepared to attack. "Wing slash of the fire dragon!" He leapt at the ice mage, his clenched fists and arms trailing plumes of red-hot flames. The temperature of the air in the small hall shot through the roof.

Before his blow landed, however, Natsu saw his friend's face turn pale and his entire body shudder. The black-haired boy swayed unsteadily and then began to topple over backwards, the heavy weight of his backpack too much for his weakened body to handle. Natsu immediately pulled back his punches and caught the other before he hit the ground. Lowering him to the floor, he quickly unstrapped the backpack and roughly shoved it aside.

"Gray!" Natsu said urgently, shaking the boy's shoulders lightly. "Gray, what's wrong? Gray!" His panic augmented as his friend began to murmur unintelligibly. What the hell was going on? Why did Gray just collapse like that without warning? He had not even hit him yet! Then his hand brushed against the other's face and a wave of understanding crashed down on him.

He cursed. This was bad. Hooking his arms under his friend's neck and back of the knees, he lifted the boy up with some effort. He dashed through the hallway. When confronted with the front door, he kicked it down without missing a beat. He had to get Gray to Wendy as soon as possible. He sped through the cobbled streets of Magnolia Town, running as fast as he could with Gray a deadweight in his arms.

Halfway to Fairy Tail, he glanced down at Gray for a quick check and swore. His anxiety mounted. The ice mage was already unconscious, his body limp and his expression slack; his face, neck and arms were flushed. It seemed that the dark-haired boy had been more affected by his battle with Lyon than he let on. It frightened him to think that Gray might succumb to death for real this time, with the injuries he had accumulated and all. He could not let that happen. He would not let his friend slip away this time.

"Hang on, Gray." He tightened his arms around his friend and ran even faster.


	4. Lull

**4. Lull**

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><p>"Actually, if you think about it, it was the perfect time to get a heatstroke!" mused Happy from where he sat beside Gray's head on the bed.<p>

"Happy!" Lucy snapped. "That was completely inappropriate." She removed the towel from the ice mage's forehead and dunked it into the bucket of cold water beside her. Pulling the dripping wet towel out, she wringed it vigorously, removing excess water to leave it sufficiently damp. Then she folded it neatly into a rectangle and gently put it back on the dark-haired boy's forehead.

Erza hovered in the background, glancing occasionally at the sleeping Gray and cracking her knuckles ominously. Nearly an hour passed before she finally stopped pacing and glared at the occupants of the room. "When that idiot wakes up, tell me. Immediately." Without even waiting for a reply, the redhead turned and stalked out of the room.

Lucy laughed a little nervously as she watched Erza exit the room. Perhaps it was for the best and Gray's good health that he remained asleep for the time being. She did not want to imagine what the other girl intended to do to Gray once he awakened. She turned her attention back to the boy resting on the bed, noting with relief that he looked much better than when Natsu had first brought him back to Fairy Tail.

The aforementioned dragon slayer was sulking outside the room at the moment. Master Makarov had forbidden him from entering Gray's room due to his higher body temperature and unfortunate tendency to emit flames whenever he got worked up. His close presence would only aggravate the ice mage's condition.

What Gray needed now was to recuperate in a cool environment.

At first, after seeing Gray in such a state, the rain-woman Juvia had brought her own body temperature down to nearly zero degrees celsius and attempted to envelope him with her body by transforming into water herself. The master had stopped her at once. Levy then explained that doing so would cause a sudden drop in Gray's body temperature and result in vasoconstriction - which would be counter-productive in lowering the ice mage's body temperature.

All Juvia could do was mope around and wait anxiously for Gray to awaken. Subsequently, after much dubious contemplation on Lucy's nursing of the ice mage, she started to aid her by replacing and cooling down the bucketful of water when necessary. Right now, the blue-haired girl was asleep on a chair beside Gray, her head pillowed on her crossed arms on the bedsheets.

"Lucy..." came a mournful voice from the doorway.

The blonde girl instantly turned to glare in that direction. "No, Natsu! The master said no."

"But he should be fine by now. Besides, I haven't seen him since they put him here." The fire mage was almost whining. "Just once—"

"Natsu!" Lucy said sharply.

Natsu fell into a dejected silence. Feeling bad, she relented. The other boy was worried about his friend, that's all. Not to mention that Natsu being Natsu, was probably feeling extremely guilty at the moment. Especially now that he was witnessing how the ice mage had to be confined to the bed as he needed plenty of rest.

"He's fine, Natsu." The blonde girl said, leaning forwards to adjust the wet towel into a position more to her liking. She sat back in her chair with a weary sigh. At some point of time, Happy had curled up beside Gray's pillow and dozed off. Juvia murmured a little and shifted in her sleep. She smiled fondly at the sight of the three slumbering friends.

"...I feel guilty." Natsu spoke up from where he was sitting, his back leaning against the door frame. His normally lively eyes were shadowed. "Ugh. I hate feeling this guilty - but then I almost killed Gray."

"Don't be silly," replied Lucy, frowning over at him. "Nobody expected Gray to be so wounded even after Wendy healed him."

"Mhm." The dragon slayer tilted his head back and rested it against the wall. "Not to mention Wendy had to heal me and Erza before she tended to Gray. The poor girl must have already been at her limits."

"Well, she certainly put in her all in healing Gray this time." Lucy yawned and stretched. She glanced out the window opposite her at a reddening sky. It was already past six thirty in the evening. Her stomach was growling. "So don't be such a worry-wart. Even Juvia has calmed down." She got up and walked out the room, stepping over his stretched out legs. "I'll be going now for dinner and—" She turned on her heels and gave the fire mage a warning look. "—don't even think of going near Gray. You know what master Makarov would do."

Natsu huffed and looked away pointedly. Gramps had threatened to get Freed Justine to write runes preventing solely him from entering the room at all if he were to stray within a ten-foot radius of the ice mage. No doubt Gramps had already gotten Freed to write a rune that would set off an alarm if Natsu got too close to Gray. He was not sure if he wanted to test how close 'too close' was.

The dragon slayer gazed thoughtfully at the silhouette of his friend from where he lurked obediently just outside the room. He was still a little shell-shocked from the scare earlier. Gray was usually able to tolerate – and even overcome – the heat of his flames. He had always thought the ice mage had great endurance and magical power, so he was not expecting the other to faint just from the heat given off from one fiery attack. But his body had been substantially weakened by his fight with Lyon and he had not fully recovered yet then. Plus, the element ice was especially vulnerable against fire. Being an ice mage meant Gray was more susceptible to fire. High heat wore him out.

He almost chuckled as he recalled how he had made his entrance into his guild. He had thundered past everyone, yelling his head off for Wendy while trying to his best to restrain his body heat from increasing any further. His agitation had not made it easy. Almost all who were present had been thrown into a panic at his hysterics. The carpets in the guild's main hall were still blackened from when he had blazed into the building.

When master Makarov arrived at the scene with Wendy, his suspicions were confirmed. Gray was suffering from heatstroke – and all thanks to him. After he had finished explaining what had happened to land the ice mage in such a state, he had to dive for cover as an enraged Juvia attacked him. He winced as he remembered some of the blows that had landed. As ice was not very effective against fire, so was fire against water. The rain-woman could really pack a punch when it was for her obsession.

_"Juvia will skin you alive for hurting Gray-sama!"_

Then, after Juvia was restrained, he told Makarov and those present what Gray intended to do. The reactions his words evoked were similar, mostly along the lines of: "Why does he have to go to such lengths to defeat Lyon? All he needs is us! Also, it's understandable that as an S-Class mage, he would want to become stronger and live up to his rank – but his plan is impractical!"

Natsu could not say he did not disagree with that. However, as he knew Gray better than most people, he had to take his friend's feelings and ideals into consideration. As it was inevitable that people would get hurt if Fairy Tail helped out in this particular fight, he suspected that Gray would suffer from guilt and self-loathing for an undefined period of time – and knowing the ice mage, he would choose to suffer silently.

Sometimes he wanted to beat some sense into his friend.

Movement at the far corner of the room caught his eye and he turned his head to look. Juvia had awakened and was currently leaning over the bed, her fingers fluttering over smooth skin. A strange emotion twisted his heart, eliciting a deliberate cough into his hand. The rain-woman immediately straightened and turned. He watched as she made her way to the door and paused, looking down at him.

"Good evening," said the blue-haired woman.

He smiled and waved.

They stared at each other for a while more before Juvia walked past him and down the corridor.

Shifting his gaze to the darkening sky, he wondered how he could convince Gray that he need not fight Lyon alone. It would be madness to take on the ice dragon slayer unaided. He had felt a significant difference in Lyon's strength when they had last engaged in battle. The white-haired man had grown much more powerful. It had been a tough fight despite him being the fire dragon slayer – what more for an ice mage? An element was theoretically ineffective against the same element. Both Lyon and Gray used ice magic. There was no question as to who would lose.

Then Natsu had an epiphany.

He shot to his feet, eyes glowing. Why wait like terrified mice in the rhetorical mouse-hole that was their guild for the ice dragon slayer to arrive and rain destruction upon them? Why hold back? This was Fairy Tail, for god's sake! Instead of lying around waiting for potential assaults, Fairy Tail would bring the fight to them!

Pacing, he thought hard. If Fairy Tail mages were deployed to create a commotion at where Lyon and the dark guilds were at, then those bastards would be preoccupied with defending themselves to bother with anything else. That way, Fairy Tail could spare the guild itself from being attacked directly. Erza and himself would then be able to deal freely with Lyon as they would not be tied down to the guild. There would be a certain amount of risk involved, definitely, but it would be much better than be sitting ducks for death. If it worked out, everyone would get their own satisfying conclusion to this issue.

Unable to contain his elation at his craftiness, he did a little jig there and then that brought him twirling into the door. Just then, he heard a small noise that sounded suspiciously like a muffled snicker. It was also suspiciously familiar. Instantly, he stopped short and peered around. Who—? Over on the bed his answer sat up.

"Hey, slanty-eyes," said Gray, a smirk playing on the edges of his lips.

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><p>There's not much plot development here and it's also a chapter that is somewhat shorter than usual. My apologies! However, the next chapter should be more interesting. Do review! It's what keeps us writers writing and new chapters rolling in xP<p> 


	5. Entanglement

A thousand hearts and kisses to my wonderful friend and beta, **MiyuTanemura**. Your beta-ing skills are like nothing I've ever seen before 8D

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><p><strong><strong>5. Entanglement<strong>**

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><p><em><em>"Hey, slanty-eyes."<em>_

"You're awake!"

Natsu's exclamation was filled with joy and relief. He was so glad to see his friend looking healthier that he let the other's mocking "__slanty-eyes___"_ slide by. And that wasn't all. "You can talk now." He realised in delighted surprise. Wendy must have been able to heal his friend's vocal cords too, this time.

Gray nodded distractedly, glancing out of the window on his right to the night sky. There was still a hint of orange-red in the horizon, which meant that it should be late evening. But what day was it? How long was he asleep for? Time was running out. He had to hurry up and try to find Lyon.

Focusing on getting out of bed without waking the slumbering Happy, he slipped noiselessly from his blankets and scooted lightly towards the edge of the bed on his behind. When his feet hit the smooth, wooden floor, he took care to raise himself from the mattress slowly. As he did, he noticed how his friend rushed forwards with his hands outstretched, obviously intending to help him up – but at the last moment stopped and backed some distance away.

"What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled.

Natsu shook his head, and then thought better of keeping silent; the ice mage had narrowed his eyes dangerously, demanding an explanation. "It's just that... you do know you passed out, and why, don't you? That's why I can't get too near to you just yet. You're still quite weak."

"I'm not weak."

The dragon slayer sighed in frustration. He knew that the other boy had responded so defensively upon hearing that particular word because it reminded him of Lyon and his taunts of how he was a weakling. Hating Lyon for damaging the dark-haired boy's self-esteem, he wished he could be right beside Gray so he could comfort him. But he couldn't. Not yet. Even if he yearned to.

Gray scowled. "Look, I'm perfectly fine now. Stop treating me like I'm made of glass."

When Natsu made no indication of getting any closer, the ice mage blew out a breath of exasperation and started towards the other – who automatically moved backwards, fearing that he might unintentionally cause harm of any sort to his friend again. At that, Gray stopped and pierced him with a look of incredulity. There was a pause as both mages stared at each other. Then Gray tried again by taking another step forwards. Natsu took a step backwards. When this was repeated a second time, the dark-haired boy threw his hands up and spun away from Natsu, growling.

Natsu felt a stab of regret as Gray stalked away to lean angrily against the dresser next to the bed, purposely slanting his body away from him. As the minutes ticked by in silence, he knew he was being ignored. Finally, unable to stand the cold shoulder any longer, he decided to take a gamble and allow the other boy to approach him. In an attempt to salvage the situation, he said, "Gramps had Freed put a rune around the bed that would trigger an alarm if I got too close to you. Trust me, I would really like to hug you right now, but it would be really embarrassing if I set off the alarm."

Gray swung around and stared at him for a while, then spoke, "Around the bed, you said?"

Natsu blinked at the expectant look on the other's face, then chuckled softly as he realised what his friend was trying to get at.

"How stupid of me," commented Natsu, a grin spreading across his face as he crooked a finger at the other boy, beckoning him over. To his dismay, Gray snorted and walked round the bed to the window instead to look up at the moonlit sky. Now he could not get closer to the ice mage even if he wanted to. He hesitated at where he stood, uncertain of how much space the rune-spell actually covered. "Gray, come here..."

"You're the one who didn't want me to go nearer in the first place!" Gray growled, refusing to turn and look back.

They sulked quietly.

...

"I still intend to go on my journey, Natsu." Gray's voice broke the silence after some time. He turned to meet the fire mage's stunned gaze. "Now that I'm better, I'll do what I planned from the start. I have to find Lyon." Enough time had been wasted. Every day lost was a day less to find an ice dragon and be trained by it. He wanted to be able to get stronger as soon as possible, so he had to find Lyon quickly.

"You're still on that?" Natsu asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. "You're still insisting on seeking Lyon out despite having just recovered from a heatstroke?"

"And whose fault might that be?" The words came out sharper than he intended – than his friend deserved.

The dragon slayer hastily backtracked. "But in your condition it might not be so—"

"Are you implying that I'm a weakling?" Gray interrupted frostily, unable to help it.

That was the last straw for the cerise-haired boy. Painfully reminded of how it was all because of Lyon that Gray was behaving in such a manner, Natsu exploded. "God_damnit_, Gray! Why are you being so damn unreasonable and antagonistic? Why must you persist in fighting that bastard yourself? Why are you making things difficult for yourself?"

He had turned away and was now repeatedly slamming his fists against the wall in a fit of rage. "Why must you always make me feel so worried? Why is it that you must always drive me crazy?" In a flare of self-consciousness, he suddenly felt irrationally maddened at Gray for making him lose control like this. "Why do I even care about what you do? Why am I going nuts over every little thing you do? For fuck's sake, why?"

A last punch to the wall made him wince as his fury began to subside and his brain registered the pain. Letting his arms drop back to his sides, he sat down, grimacing as he massaged his aching fingers.

Gray was thrown into a state of confusion at his best friend's unexpected outburst. Hearing the words Natsu uttered made him wonder if there was more to it than simply furious concern for another friend. It made him think back to all the times the fire mage had been more emotional towards him than how friends normally should. Slightly nervous, he went over and crouched down directly before the dragon slayer. "Natsu," he started to speak, but stopped. He was at a loss of what to say to his friend. Finally, he just took the other's hands in his and began to stroke the bruised knuckles lightly, apologetically.

All of a sudden, the hands he was holding were wrenched back by their owner. He looked up in surprise – only to have strong arms lock around his waist. "What—" he began, but then the arms pulled him forwards. Losing his balance, he toppled into his friend's lap. In a panic, Gray struggled and tried to right himself, but the firm grip around his waist prevented him from moving away. In a desperate attempt to break free, the combination of his weight and frantic movements somehow managed to knock the other flat on his back.

They landed on the ground in a tangle of limbs.

He flailed as he fought to push himself upright. It was only when he was suddenly aware of the warmer-than-average body beneath his that he realised the position the two of them were in. He was sitting directly upon his friend's groin. His thighs straddled the other's hips and his knees were bent such that his heels touched his behind. One hand was splayed on Natsu's chest for support while the other hand rested on his stomach. Natsu's arms had remained curled around his waist. Alarmed, he started to wiggle, trying to get free.

"Oh." He heard his friend say a little breathlessly.

"Let go!"

Renewing his efforts to loosen Natsu's grip on his waist, he wriggled with even more vigour.

"No, wait—"

"What do you mean 'no'?" Gray speared his friend with a look of furious incredulity. What was Natsu waiting for? This was one position he could have lived without ever experiencing. He wanted to get off of his friend – and fast. The arms around his waist retracted, only to be replaced by strong fingers gripping his hips. They held him down, restricting his movements. He was outraged, "I said to let go!"

"Gray." Something about how strained Natsu's voice was made him still for a moment. Their eyes met and he detected a small difference. Frowning, he looked closer. The dragon slayer's dark eyes appeared dazed. He started to lean forwards to see what was the matter—

"Stop!"

He stopped. Wait. "What?"

"Gray." Natsu's voice was definitely strained, his breathing laboured. "Stop moving. Please."

Because he had almost never heard the fire mage tell him 'please' before, he did as the other told. He tried to figure out what was wrong. Why was Natsu acting so strange? Why were they still in such a compromising position – and why was the other boy not letting him get off despite that? He looked inquisitively at his friend who had squeezed his eyes shut and his eyebrows sloped downwards in a frown. It seemed as thought the fire mage was concentrating on something. A minute or two passed and he began to feel a little worried. He shifted anxiously. "Natsu―"

"Gray, stop."

He felt a flash of annoyance and snapped at the cerise-haired boy, "What the hell is wrong with you? You keep telling me to stop, and don't say why! And could you also get your hands off me?"

Natsu's obsidian eyes fluttered open then and looked hazily up at him. "Uh..." A hand shifted from one hip to gesture vaguely at the area where their two bodies met. The fire mage's cheeks were pink. "Um. No offence, Gray... but every time you move, it's rather... inconvenient. Especially with how you are... with where you are sitting on..." His cheeks coloured even more as his hand, left aimlessly in the air, had no choice but to return to rest tentatively on the ice mage's hip. "Please don't move anymore?"

Mystified, Gray glanced down at where the fire mage was pointing at. He tried to comprehend what Natsu had said. Where he was sitting on? But he was sitting on his friend, obviously. Sitting on his... oh. Understanding flooded him. Out of reflex, he immediately tried to move away – only to feel the fingers on his hips tighten and hear a small groan escape the dragon slayer's lips as he inadvertently created more friction between their bodies.

"Gray, I can't―" Natsu broke off, his face aflame.

He was sure his own cheeks were on fire too. It was obvious that he had to move carefully, or risk causing the fire mage... greater inconveniences. The only thing he could do was snatch his hands off his friend's body and put most of his weight on his knees to try reduce the pressure of his body on the other's.

"Natsu," he said slowly, flushing further as he noted how his own voice had suddenly acquired a strain for itself. "If I may... I mean, could you release me so I may get off?"

The dragon slayer gave a barely noticeable nod of his head in affirmation and whispered hoarsely, "Try not to... jostle."

Gray swallowed hard at the words. "Okay," he replied, equally hoarsely. They were both trying their very best to look anywhere but at each other. When he felt Natsu's hands lift from his hips, he took a deep breath to steady himself. Then, using his knees and the strength of his lower legs, he pushed himself off his friend with a hand on the wall beside him for leverage. He shot upwards and quickly stepped over Natsu to one side to avoid standing directly over him. Abruptly turning away, he fought to keep his emotions in check.

That had been dreadfully, horrendously mortifying.

On the floor, Natsu let out a shaky breath and slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position. He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand and struggled to compose himself. They remained silent for a long while, the air thick with tension and unspoken thoughts.

Getting up and dusting himself off, Natsu mumbled, "Awkward..."

Gray let out a small grunt, not really feeling a need to answer. He was looking over at the still-sleeping Happy, amazed that the Exceed had managed to sleep through the racket they had been making. He was immensely grateful for that. What happened earlier would begin and end between only him and Natsu. Nobody else should ever know. He was sure the fire mage felt the same. Though, he wasn't sure if he could converse normally with Natsu for the next couple of days without being reminded of this embarrassing incident.

"I'm sorry."

He cast a curious glance at Natsu. "Whatever for?"

"For... for just now. I only wanted to... hug you for a while. I didn't mean for it to turn out this way. That was completely unexpected... I guess it must have caused you quite an amount of discomfort."

A great amount, in fact. But he refrained from voicing it out. He didn't wish to pressurise his friend any further. Natsu was already looking fairly distressed. The fire mage was obviously feeling insecure about their current situation as he wouldn't make eye contact. He was clearly afraid that Gray would hold a grudge or behave negatively towards him after what happened. He sighed inwardly. His mind was in a mess. He didn't know what to think of it. Besides, he had important matters calling urgently for his attention – namely Lyon, who was a thorn in his side he was eager to remove.

But first, he needed to reassure his friend – and himself.

Sighing again and aloud this time, Gray hesitantly walked right up to Natsu. Then, before the dragon slayer could speak, he slipped his arms around the other's waist and pulled him into a hug. It was a chaste and comforting type of embrace. His chin rested lightly on the other's shoulder. At first, the fire mage's body was tense and rigid, taken by surprise at his action. Then, gradually, he felt the other relax and the coiled muscles loosen up. A familiar pair of arms brushed past his sides, wrapped around his own waist and tugged them closer together. He could feel Natsu's fingers and palms pressed burningly against the curve of his lower back.

"Held me long enough now?" he murmured.

He was pressed even closer to his friend's body. Lingering for a few seconds more, he pulled back a little to let the other know. This time, Natsu let him go without much resistance. He drew back and they gazed intently at each other, seemingly lost in their own private world. Then Gray broke the spell by shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Touching his friend's arm briefly, he moved aside and towards the door. He had barely taken two steps before he paused and looked at Natsu, who had turned to watch him.

"Actually, I'm sorry too." Gray gave a quick smile that didn't reach his eyes. His voice was soft and low, almost a whisper, as he continued. "There really isn't any other choice. This desire for atonement... this hunger for revenge is consuming me..."

Natsu's heart sank.

"I have to seek Lyon now."

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><p>Are you people thinking "Finally! Some NatsuxGray!"?<p>

Then again, I don't know how that little scene happened. I totally did not intend to write that — it just... happened o.o I was planning on dragging out the subtlety of their interactions (mostly on Gray's part) but, well, I guess Natsu simply couldn't keep his hands off Gray this time. I'm a little worried that I've made our two boys here somewhat OOC... though my awesome beta says otherwise :3

Plus, some words to a few lovely people whose reviews I didn't reply to earlier—

**fairytopia**: I couldn't PM you as you were anon, but I really appreciate your comments! Thank you muchly for following my story since day one :D

**Jam**: Thanks for reviewing, and answering your question: yes. There will be yaoi and Natsu will be topping... sometimes :P As our two boys are obviously both quite dominant, it wouldn't be fair if Natsu topped all the time with regards to their, eh, bed activities. But Natsu will predominantly be the 'seme' in their relationship. However, the yaoi will take quite some time to get to :3

**Universe Star Gazer: **I like any boyxboy pairing with Gray in it as long he is mostly the uke :D And I might write a LyonxGray because their relationships with each other is just too ambiguous to ignore, so keep an eye out for when that happens!

See you people next chapter ^-^


	6. How We Say Goodbye

I struggled a fair bit to complete this chapter. Life isn't so good at the moment, but thank goodness for fanfiction acting as my escape from reality sometimes. Anyways, if you notice any noteworthy bits in this chapter, that was because my awesome beta, **MiyuTanemura**, dropped by.

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><p><strong><strong>6. How We Say Goodbye<strong>**

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><p>Despite having his fury muted by the hug the ice mage had offered him a minute ago, Natsu felt his anger stir like some great beast threatening to fully awaken and wreck havoc. Here it was again. Always it came back to Lyon, Lyon, <em><em>Lyon<em>_. How he __loathed __that man. Granted, Gray was doing this because he did not wish to see his friends get hurt, but couldn't he see that by putting himself in danger it hurt his friends too? Was he that blind? This many years spent together since they were children and he could not feel how much his friends cared for him— that they care to the point they were entirely willing to put their lives on the line for him.

If Gray could endanger his life for his friends, why couldn't his friends do the same for him?

"Let me ask you again," bit out Natsu. "_Are you fucking insane?_"

The other boy didn't even flinch at his roar; only precipitated towards him and clamped a hand over his mouth. Surprised at the feel of the cool palm making contact with his lips, he flinched and stiffened.

"Quiet," hissed the ice mage, sapphire eyes slitted. "Do you want us to be heard?"

Gripping the other's wrist, Natsu tore it away from his face, but held it firmly in his hand. He was getting angrier by the second. This was getting ridiculous. Never had he seen someone so eager to be on his merry way to death. "If that would prevent you from running away again, then, yes."

There was a pause where the two mages glared daggers at each other, then— "What if I said I will allow you to accompany me on my journey?"

Natsu wasn't sure he heard that correctly.

"Forget it," the ice mage snapped when Natsu responded with only a blank face, turning away and pulling his hand back. "Why did I even bother to—"

Natsu caught the other's wrist once more, his fury dribbling away. He couldn't believe his ears – and his luck. Finally. __Finally___._ It was about time his best friend regained full use of his brains. "Yes," he said, his tone almost gleeful. "Yes, I'll go with you."

Gray did not even look at the fire mage as he yanked his hand away and disappeared into the corridor. He moved swiftly and silently, aware of Natsu close behind him. When the other boy questioned his intentions, he simply murmured, "Hush." before making his way to the end of the corridor. There, a single window was propped open. He heaved himself up on the chest-high window sill and swung his legs over. It was fortunate he was on the first storey of the guild building. Pushing himself off, he landed lightly on the grass outside. As the guild was built on a raised foundation, he dropped past an extra two feet before he touched down. The hard landing jarred his teeth and bones. Looking up, he saw Natsu staring down at him quizzically.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, glancing from side to side in case someone showed up. "Come on down!"

"I should be asking you that," muttered the fire mage, referring to Gray's rhetorical question. Placing both hands flat on the stone wall, he vaulted over the window and landed on the other side. He brushed his hands together briskly and hurried to catch up with the ice mage, who was already hastening down the grassy slope. Their shadows darted back and forth, lengthening and shrinking with every lamp post passed. He recognised the route they were taking. After some time, they arrived before the doorsteps of Gray's apartment.

"Wait here while I get my things," Gray said brusquely, unlocking the front door, slipping in and shutting it in Natsu's face.

The dragon slayer contemplated smashing the wooden door down. It looked flimsy enough. It wouldn't stand a chance against a fiery fist. Then he sighed. If he did that, Gray could get another heatstroke and he would have to find Wendy again — which defeated the purpose of sneaking out of Fairy Tail in the first place. Folding his arms, he leaned resignedly against the brick wall, crossing his right leg over his left shin and resting his toes on the pavement.

His gaze was inexplicably drawn to the starry skies. He remembered the feeling of strong winds blowing straight into his face and skimming across his scales. The memory of streaking through blue skies on crimson wings made him smile and yearn to take on his fire dragon-form once more. He knew he would be a spectacular sight. Then, once he hung as a glittering vermilion beast against an endless backdrop of the sky, he would breeze over mountains and valleys. Seeking out where Igneel was residing. A cool zephyr ruffled his hair. His vision misted over as he reminisced.

After a while he jerked back into consciousness. Straightening and glancing around, he wondered how long had he been daydreaming. Gray should have been out by now but was nowhere in sight. He cocked his head and listened intently, but heard nothing from the interior of his friend's apartment. Frowning, he decided that he had better check in on his friend in case something undesirable, like a fainting spell, had occurred.

Twisting the doorknob, he pushed the door open and entered the apartment. He walked through the lighted hallway and found the pile of boxes still intact in the middle of the small hall.

"Gray?"

As he began to venture deeper into the apartment in search of the ice mage, a flash of reflected light caught his eye. He turned to look, and saw a note speared to one of the boxes by an icicle. Dread trickled into him and he swore. '_Oh, please, no. Please don't let it be..._' He strode over and, with trembling fingers, carefully pried the piece of paper free. He couldn't bring himself to look, but did anyway. There was only a single word written on it:

__Sorry__.

Natsu couldn't restrain the harsh bark of laughter that tore from his lips as he crushed and burnt the paper to ashes in a clenched fist. So this was the catch; the reason for Gray's sudden change of heart and permission to accompany him on his journey. The ice mage knew he could never shake him off through verbal or physical persuasion alone. Hence he was lulled into a false sense of security before being abandoned. It was with an extremely bitter look that he addressed the empty apartment, save for the pile of boxes that held his best friend's possessions. He almost set fire to them.

The profound sense of betrayal grew steadily, until it became overwhelming. The rush of emotions felt almost physical, to the point he could literally feel it fling his head back, allowing a low, broken cry — _rage. frustration. anxiety. __**hurt**__. _— to escape him:

_"_Graaaayyyy...!"__

His legs gave way, numb to all feeling —_like his heart_— and he sank bonelessly to the ground. _'___Oh, god, Gray... why must you do this to me____?' __His forehead met gently with the hard, wooden flooring as he tried to focus on breathing. __Inhale, exhale___... ___inhale, exhale... __But it hurt to breathe, damnit. There was something like a lump in his throat... something like a poisoned knife lodged in his heart. Gray's betrayal was toxin seeping into his every pore, dissolving him into a puddle of frayed emotions. The world was a blur, spinning relentlessly around him. He felt an urge to throw up — maybe that way, he could disgorge his fractured heart on to the floor. The pain was so agonising he wanted to claw his heart out from his aching chest. All he could think of was the cruel, heartless way his best friend had left him.

_"_Why did you leave me?"__

He could hear muttering.

_"_...hurts so much."__

Natsu wondered if he might be delirious.

_"_If it hurts this much, does this mean that I___—___?"__

Who was talking?

_"_..that I—"__

Who was it who was crying?

_"—_love—"__

Who was it who sounded like he was dying?

_"__—_you?"__

Natsu almost laughed as he recognised the words, the voice, as his own.

"_I love you...?"_

Of all times to say it out loud was when the person himself wasn't there!

"_I love you_—!_"_

Or did he _think_ he did?

It hurt so much to think and feel that he gave up on doing either and retreated into himself, his mind going blank. His legs gave way as he went limp, his body slumping to the floor. Squeezing his eyes shut, he curled up sideways into a foetus position and hugged himself tightly, as if the physical withdrawal could shield himself from his mental turmoil. But the flood of intense emotions that he held back threatened to crush his mental defenses. Tears trickled down his face as he fought to breathe. He grovelled on the floor, mouth parted and taking in deep, gasping breaths of air as if he were drowning. He was scratching at the wooden parquet flooring with his nails, as if trying to find some purchase so he could lift himself from this deluge of raging emotions.

Seconds passed as he hid behind the blackness of his eyelids.

His breathing gradually evened out as he grew more aware of a difference in the ambience of his surroundings. There was a unique scent filling his lungs and, amazingly, clearing his mind. It had an icy, almost spicy, aroma. He vaguely wondered why the smell seemed so painfully familiar to him. The familiarity soothed and agitated him at the same time. It reminded him of something, or someone_,_ that was fairly important to him. He thought hard for a while before his brain supplied him with the answer: Gray.

But what was it that kept niggling away at the corner of his mind? What was that strange impulse, that urgent need to do something _— _something he could not quite get? Then he remembered — Gray, the one who had charmed and then left him — and an explosion of pain had his heart shattering into pieces for the second time that night. But with that memory came another, one that had him recalling a responsibility that was also a promise:

__I will seal your darkness, for you___._

And with that Natsu knew what he needed to do.

He had to find Gray and protect him — and he knew how.

Scrambling to his feet, he suddenly felt alive and full of energy. He had found a new purpose to the scent that was swirling around him. Breathing in deeply and revelling in its icy aroma, he regained his bearings.

Gray couldn't have been gone long. He would be able to hunt down the dark-haired boy by sniffing him out. Being a dragon slayer had its perks— namely an enhanced sense of smell. He raised his head with fresh vigor and breathed in deeply. Gray had a very distinctive scent. Maybe if he could detect where the scent was strongest, then he would be able to know how his friend had managed to escape. However, the entire apartment smelt of Gray, of winter. He couldn't very well go around sniffing every inch of the apartment now, could he? Time was of the essence.

Logically, the only way Gray could have escaped was through a window. Preferably one facing the back of the apartment building. Natsu had visited the ice mage enough times to remember the apartment's outlay. It was fortunate that the apartment had only one window large enough to accommodate a teenage boy and his backpack — the one right here in this small hall. And it had been left wide open. When he sniffed around the window frame, he was satisfied to find Gray's scent strongest here. Without hesitation, he leapt out of the window and set off in hot pursuit of his runaway friend.

__I'm on my way, so wait for me.__

* * *

><p>Because his friend had lapsed into a daydream for long enough, Gray had time to leave a trail scent until the end of his street and double back.<p>

From where he balanced effortlessly on the roof of his apartment, he watched Natsu race down the street and follow the trail of his scent. But it would be futile. The dragon slayer may have an excellent nose, but the bustling human and vehicle traffic at the end of the street would have dispelled most traces of his smell— not that he had even ventured there. His friend would never have guessed that he had doubled back, and would conclude the abrupt disappearance of his scent to be the result of the heavy traffic.

Gray could be so terribly devious sometimes.

But it was to be for the best. He must deal with Lyon alone. It was a mess he created, and likewise, it would be a mess he would have to clean up by himself. He stood and, instead of returning to solid ground, loped across the adjacent rooftops in the opposite direction of where the fire mage had headed. When he got to the end of the row of houses, he paused and crouched down. Placing his hand on the edge of the roof, a bluish-white magic circle materialised below his palm. There was a crackling sound, then a smooth, white plane of ice spread downwards from his fingertips, linking the roof's edge to the ground. He slid down to the grass below. Vanishing the ice slide, he pelted at full speed towards the boundaries of Magnolia Town. The further he got from his guild, the better.

As he ran, he wondered if he had made the right choice.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>__Aiiiiiiieeeeeee!"__

Natsu was viciously smashed into the wall. He slumped to the floor, the breath knocked out of him. He barely sprawled on the ground before he quickly lurched to one side. Just in time, too, for a metal blade sliced right through thin air where he had been a split second ago.

"Stop!" He blurted out, scrambling away in a futile effort to get away from his assailant. "Oh, my god, stop— noooo!" The sword pierced through his shirt, right above his shoulder, and was lodged into the wall by the sheer force of the thrust. Two more swords pinned him to the wall by his pants, missing his legs by mere millimetres. A fourth pressed coldly against his throat. Altogether, he was rendered immobile. Freshly caught.

Ready for the slaughter.

"Gramps!" Natsu wailed. "Help meeeeee—!" He choked on his scream as a fifth sword thudded into the wall a hairbreadth's away from his cranium. He almost passed out from his terror. He barely managed not to wet his pants. The rest of Fairy Tail had mysteriously vanished the moment Erza Scarlet pounced, save for Makarov and Mirajane. The redhead raised a leg and slammed her boot down on his chest. He whimpered. Black was converging on the edge of his vision. He was going to die. He mentally said a quick prayer.

The sword held to his throat was withdrawn, as was the foot on his chest.

Natsu squealed in a very unmanly manner as gauntlet-clad hands seized him by the collar. He was shook like a hapless puppy. He whimpered some more.

"What in the bloody blazes were you doing?" Erza roared. "How the fuck did a barely-recovered ice mage escape you, the fire dragon slayer, the Salamander? And now we have no idea where he went! You imbecilic good-for-nothing!" She proceeded to vigorously manhandle him as a form of outlet for her fury.

Natsu briefly considered taking on his dragon-form as a deterrent against immediate death. He could blame it on an overwhelming sense of self-preservation later. But in the face of an enraged Erza, his fire dragon-form would be as effective as spitting on to the redhead's face; it would only backfire and bring upon himself extra punishment for insubordination.

"Listen to me," he squeaked. He broke off, trying to regain control over his voice. "Erza," he said, but his voice still trembled with fear. The girl continued to shake him violently and furiously by the collar. As he spoke her name, she snarled in his face and reached to the side, yanking out a new sword from thin air. The last of his courage deserted him and he screeched in terror:

_"Grrrraaammpppsss!"_

Makarov halted Erza with a light tap on her shoulder. The redhead halted instantly and moved away, allowing the master to stand before the fire mage. The short elder glared at Natsu. "Stupid children," he grumbled. "Causing me so much trouble and worry. Natsu! Since this resulted from your own negligence, your punishment would be to find Gray and bring him back. Consider this a mission I have assigned you to." When his words elicited no reaction he frowned, displeased. "Boy! Did you hear what I said?" Reaching out, he pinched the cerise-haired boy's cheek and twisted. Hard.

Natsu shrieked and leapt into the air. "Yes, Gramps," he assented meekly, rubbing at his abused cheek.

"Go immediately!" Erza barked, piqued at how the fire mage dithered. "Go before I change my mind on letting you leave in one piece!"

"Alright, alright— I get it. Keep your swords sheathed! Sheesh." His voice a mixture of exasperation and fear, he scowled as he scrambled to get on his way. Damn Gray for his stupidity and foolishness. Most of all, damn himself for being so useless. If only he had insisted on following his friend into his home. Then this would not have happened. And now he had no idea where to start to find the ice mage. Who knew where he might be right now? It was nearly nine o'clock. The outsides were dark and chilly.

By the gods, was he worried about Gray!

Natsu had decided to put that crippling feeling of betrayal behind him for now and focus on searching for Gray. At the moment, he was far more distressed about his friend's well-being. Thoughts cluttered his mind; mainly concerned about the ice mage's health and safety. He longed to be with his friend now — never mind if they were on their way to find and fight Lyon. The thought of Gray truly being alone and wandering around Fiore, exposed to the elements and all kinds of unexpected dangers, had put a chill over his heart that the betrayal hadn't.

The three remaining mages watched as Natsu rushed out the main door of the guild building.

"Tell the rest of Fairy Tail to do whatever they can to find Gray," ordered Makarov once the fire dragon slayer was out of earshot. "But have Wendy, Evergreen, Bickslow and Freed remain here. The two of you shall stay here as well."

"But—"

"Erza, no matter what that little rascal is up to, the guild itself is still the top priority. I'm sure you can empathise. Now make sure the search teams take special notice of Magnolia Station, the Magnolia Public Bath and all major entryways of Magnolia."

Erza and Mirajane nodded once before hurrying off to find the others.

The race was on to find their wayward comrade.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Again, scenes that I didn't intend to appear until later in the story... appeared. And once again, as those scenes (namely the one where we see our fire dragon slayer discovering his feelings for a certain ice mage) weren't anticipated, I was forced to improvise. Hopefully this chapter turned out okay.

If there is anything I could improve on, I'll be more than happy to hear it out from you. Do review, too! :D


	7. To Fly The Coop

**Omg, I liek, haz new chapter. Liek, after twenny taosand years. Liek, omg, I alive.**

It's alright. Don't panic. It's just me having a brain-freeze over the fact that **I finally managed to post a new chapter**. Like, finally. No, really. I don't know why I'm so happy either, considering the number of times my soul left my body while trying to finish typing out this chapter.

And this chapter is unbetaed. **(Oh noes!)**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>7. To Fly The Coop<strong>**

* * *

><p>When Gray had put a good five hundred yards between his apartment and himself, the first thing he did was crawl into some thick undergrowth, backpack and all. The knobby branches and rough bark pulled painfully at his hair and skin, but urgency had him ripping his way deeper inside. Safely hidden within the dense foliage, he began to brainstorm.<p>

Fairy Tail would no doubt be after him soon. There was a good chance that they enlisted the help of their three dragon slayers; Natsu, Wendy and Gajeel, where their extraordinary sense of smell would be put to good use. The Exceeds—Happy, Carla and Panther Lily—might have been called upon to scout for him by air. Tonight had cloudless skies, which allowed the gibbous moon to illuminate the lands with all of its strength. The combination of moonlight and town lanterns meant that it would be doubly difficult for him to hide in the shadows. In addition, there was nothing he could do about his scent. Short of dousing his entire body with perfume, the most he could do now was keep to crowded places—preferably near food stalls and vehicles. Hopefully the many different smells mixing with his scent would be able to slow down the dragon slayers.

He would have to alternate between blending in with the crowd and sneaking through the shadows at the appropriate moments. There would be uncertain periods of time where he would have no choice but to be out in the open, exposed to any watchful eyes that might be present. That would be when his disguise would come in useful. Fairy Tail would be expecting him to either be half-dressed or donning his usual ensemble—which consisted of his hunter-green long pants, black turtle-neck and a high-collared white coat that reached mid-thigh. Natsu had seen the clothes he was currently wearing and may or may not have informed the master about it. It would be safer to assume that the fire mage had. And about his military-style backpack? Its design of black mixed with various shades of dark green and sandy brown splotches would be easy to spot in urban areas such as Magnolia. He would have to stash it somewhere first before he ventured out to hunt for a disguise.

The undergrowth he was presently lurking in would have to make do as he did not have the time to go searching for another hiding spot. As a precaution, he encased the backpack within a thick, hollow dome made of ice. It would at least be protected from the curious dog or cat that way. Though he could not say likewise for the unexpected human. He would have to be quick with his little shopping excursion for a disguise.

If Fairy Tail failed to get hold of him before he left the vicinity of Magnolia Town, they might go as far as to extend their search to nearby towns. This not only meant that he would require more than one disguise, but also meant that using certain modes of transport, such as the train, boat or carriage, would be out of the question for him. There would undoubtedly be people watching the stations and entrances of the nearby towns, waiting for the chance when he alighted to catch him off-guard. Although, he found that unlikely. Times were dangerous at the moment, and Fairy Tail was hard-pressed into defending themselves against the dark guilds. They couldn't afford to have their mages running around Fiore looking for a single comrade while their entire guild was endangered. This meant they would want to find him in the shortest time possible, before things got out of hand.

That said, Gray presumed that Fairy Tail would be going all out to find him before dawn and would be concentrating their search efforts around the places providing transport services. If he wanted to evade detection, he couldn't just rely on one disguise. He needed several. That wasn't all—they had to be as fool-proof as disguises could get. He had to ditch his current outfit and give his appearance a complete overhaul.

He mentally ran through the list of conditions to fulfil: one, he could not be shirtless or pantless or both; two, his usual ensembles would not do; three, his disguises must be inconspicuous; four, his disguises would have to reflect a personality contrasting what Fairy Tail knew him to be like.

Gray suddenly felt exhausted. This was proving more complicated and arduous that he was prepared for. Deciding to make a run for it had been a split-second decision, on impulse, fuelled by a burning thirst for atonement. Although that didn't make his resolve any less heartfelt, and despite Wendy's efforts into healing him, the last battle with Lyon and the recent heatstroke was taking its toll on his body. His sprint across rooftops and half of Magnolia did nothing to help. Huddling closer to the little ice dome that contained his backpack, he pressed his face against the ice and let his eyes fall close with a deep sigh. The sub-zero temperatures helped clear his mind.

There was no turning back now, as he might not get another chance such as this. Next time would have his friends keeping a very close eye on him, preventing him the slightest opportunity to slip away—not that he would be as determined to do so then. It had been surprisingly difficult to leave Natsu behind. It would be hell to forsake a whole clique of friends.

What should he do now, then?

Should he wait until tomorrow when Fairy Tail would be uncertain as to whether he was still in Magnolia and had lessened their search efforts, or should he make use of this head-start and get out of town as soon as possible? The former was tempting, given the fact that he was weary and stressed out. Sleep would do wonders for his mental state. However, that would mean remaining in the same spot for at least five to six hours and deeply asleep. The level of his exhaustion would make sure of that. If one included three dragon slayers into the equation, it would be of little surprise if one of them sniffed their way to his hiding place in half an hour. He would surely be caught then. Besides, sleeping meant delaying his search for Lyon's whereabouts.

That sealed his resolve. Sleep could wait. Also, sleeping on a train or carriage would be far more productive—at least he would be making some progress and be headed somewhere while asleep, as opposed to if he slept here. Swapping his white coat for a plain black hooded cloak, he pulled the hood over his head and cautiously emerged from hiding. Priority was change of clothes. Wigs, sunglasses and whatnot could wait.

The undergrowth he was lurking in lined the back of a row of terraces. He crept along the walls of these terraces, making sure to keep in the shadows. When he got to the end of the row, he peeked round the house. The lane before him was fairly busy despite the time—it was now he realised that the row of terraces were more accurately a row of shop-houses. Opposite him, on the other side of the road, was a row of shop stalls. After making sure that there was no Fairy Tail mage around, he darted forwards, out of the shadows and into the crowd. He was careful to keep his head down and covered by the hood.

It was unfortunate that the shops on both sides of the street sold everything but clothes, and the one textile shop Gray found had nothing suitable. He kept to the fringes of whatever crowd there was—ready to slip back into the shadows or lose himself in the throngs of people should the need arise—and pretended to look over the nearest stall's goods when there wasn't. The bright glow of the lamp posts overhead lighting up the streets made him feel edgy and horribly exposed. His pace quickened unconsciously and he hurried along, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. It was only when he turned the corner into the next street that he found what he had been searching for.

Several purchases and a trip to the dressing room later, a different person stood in place where Gray had once been. He regarded his appearance appraisingly in the mirror. He wore a baseball cap, a navy-blue sweater with a hoodie, black ripped jeans and sneakers. Tipping his cap down and shadowing his face further, he smiled sardonically as the boy in the mirror did the same. Perfect. Now he looked like the average rich teenager. His cloak had been folded into a makeshift bag, into which he had stuffed the components of his second disguise. There was no time to sift through more clothes. That could be done when he stopped by another town. Right now, he wanted to quickly get out of Magnolia.

Gray began to make his way back to the copse of trees and undergrowth that he had been hiding in. The crowds had thinned and the lights from the lamp posts had been dimmed somewhat to conserve energy. Despite his brand new appearance, he was mindful to keep his head lowered. Now that he was so close to achieving his goal of leaving Magnolia while evading detection, his heart pounded against his ribcage like it hadn't previously. He had not been expecting to make it this far in his post-recovery condition. His pulse quickened. He could almost taste freedom. Soon he would be free of the burdensome atmosphere in Fairy Tail—or, at least, that was what it felt like because of his decision to hunt Lyon down by himself. All that was left to do was retrieve his backpack and high-tail it out of Magnolia.

He returned safely to his hiding place with only one scare—when he had rounded a corner and spotted Macao and Romeo heading in his direction. Thank goodness Macao had been distracted by his son's attention on one of the stalls; he was able to swing around and walk rapidly away.

Now, he needed to decide on what mode of transport would best suit his journey. He needed one that was mobile and adaptable to the situation. That crossed out trains. If he was cornered in a train, it was truly game over—jumping out of a train that was going at a hundred and twenty miles per hour was suicidal. Carriages tended to fill with people and travel a tad too slowly sometimes. Not to mention Magnolia Station would be one of the first places Fairy Tail would check. It would be ridiculously easy to catch him waiting around the platforms as traffic was slow at this time of the day.

Although carriages and cars provided good cover—it would be plain insane, for even Fairy Tail, to halt every vehicle just to make sure a certain Gray Fullbuster wasn't hiding in one of them—they were inconvenient in the long run, given the ruggedness of forested and mountainous environments. He would be forced to travel on the main roads and the last time he checked, mountains did not have petrol kiosks every few miles or so to refuel one's vehicle.

The only options left were to either travel on foot or on horseback. The latter was clearly the more favourable and logical choice, but the difficulty lay in acquiring the animal itself. How in the world was he going to obtain a horse? The only horses available were harnessed to carriages and owned by companies or individuals. He could see only two ways of getting a horse: renting or stealing. He would return the horse once he returned, of course, and in the occasion that he was unable to do so he could always pay its owner back with a reasonable amount of jewels. He hoped it would not have to come down to theft.

Gray reached his hiding place without any further interruptions. Finding his backpack intact and undisturbed, he felt his racing heartbeats slow. Vanishing the ice dome, he swiftly stored his cloak and his new clothes in the backpack before shrugging it on. All he had to do now was get the hell out of Magnolia. But how was he supposed to do that when he had basically rejected all of the solutions he had come up with? They were too expensive, too slow, too inconvenient or too risky.

He slumped against the tree next to him, exasperated. He was also admittedly reluctant and somewhat apprehensive about emerging out into the open, having just endured a nerve-wracking shopping spree. At a loss of what to do next, he absently popped a handful of small ice cubes into his mouth. He relished the freezing temperature and crunching sound made as he chewed on them. Swallowing the crushed pieces, he was suddenly aware of how parched his throat was. He needed a drink. Yanking his water flask out of his backpack, he downed its contents in a few thirsty gulps. Looking at the empty flask in slight annoyance, he realised it would have to be refilled before he set out on his journey. There was no telling when he would next be able to do so from a reliable water source.

Water. Where was the nearest source of clean water? Right, there was a fountain in the middle of Magnolia, which was fortunately not too far away. His desire for more water forced him out of the undergrowth. Reaching his destination at a dash, he fled once he had filled his flask to the brim. As he ran, he absently noticed how the moonlight glanced off the water in the canal next to him. He ran for a while more before he was struck with a sudden idea. Slowing to a walk, he studied the calm surface of the flowing water. Could he exit Magnolia by underwater means?

Definitely.

An involuntary grin lit up Gray's face as he stopped and bent a knee to crouch by the water channel. It was one of the few waterways that cut through Magnolia Town and there was a good possibility that it led to a river, or maybe even the sea. The swirling waters reflected the moonlight into his eyes, shimmering like a lifeline. Maybe, if he were to fashion a helmet of ice around his head, he would be able to breathe underwater for a short period of time. His backpack could be towed along encased in ice. In no time, he would be out of Magnolia. This could be his best escape route yet. Leaning forwards with one hand braced on the cement, he stretched his other arm out, intending for an experimental dip of his fingers into the water—

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Shocked and caught unawares by the sudden voice, Gray attempted to spin around and get back on his feet at the same time. He only managed to unbalance himself and pitch sideways towards the dark, glittering water of the canal. Before he could fall in, however, hands grabbed tightly at his shirt and he was forcefully hauled back. His feet found the ground for barely a second before momentum had him tumbling backwards into another's chest. An unknown pair of arms closed around him almost automatically—as if by instinct, he thought fleetingly—before he and that unknown person landed hand on the pavement.

Sparing a moment to catch his breath, he began to struggle free—but the arms around him were remarkably strong, caging him in, and managed to hold him fast. He could not get free while in this inconvenient position—flush back-to-chest against this mystery person whose long legs, clothed in dark, baggy pants, stretched out restrictively on either side of his own legs. To get up, he would have to push off from this person himself depending solely on the force of his elbows and knees. He could manage that, maybe, if not for the way his arms were constrained to his sides. It would have been near to impossible to get up using the strength of his legs alone, as he would have to support the unknown person as well.

In desperation, he did the only thing he could do. "Ice-make—"

"Gray."

The voice was dimly recognised. He knew this person—_knew_ him. But it couldn't be—

Turning his head to the side he caught a glimpse of golden hair, almost silver in the moonlight. For a moment or two he also saw moonlight strike and illuminate two blue-tinted rectangles of plastic before being reflected back into his eyes. And he knew this scent: wild and ferocious. Clamping his fingers down on the arms constricting his chest, he forcefully peeled them away. Twisting his upper body around as much as he could in his current position, his eyes widened as he saw who it was.

* * *

><p>I know. It's been nearly two months. But life has been <em>incredibly<em> busy. And tiring. I fell asleep halfway through dinner one night. It was that asfkardhcsvtaga. And still is. So be warned that my next update won't be coming any time soon... maybe in a month or so.

**Warning: The below text contains spoilers of the anime. Not that anyone needs it... so this is 'just in case'. x3**

I hope there isn't any confusion over the current setting of _Fire and Ice_. I should have mentioned from the beginning that this story originates from the end of the Tenrou Island arc. As of this chapter, I've watched episode 114 of the anime and read chapter 266 of the manga.

In this fic, all Fairy Tail mages and their allies involved in battle with Grimoire Hearts have escaped with Tenrou Island intact and undestroyed. Following the manga, Hades/Purehito remains dead. Ultear, Meredy and Capricorn defected. Bluenote, Rustyrose and Kain Hikaru are still active. The whereabouts of Azuma is unknown. Zeref is on the loose and Acnologia has not revealed itself. Grimoire Hearts has not been dissolved but is without a guild master. Due to the defeat of the Oración Seis, the Balam Alliance is left with two guilds: Grimoire Hearts and Tartaros. In this fic, the Dark Guilds remain a threat to Earthland, or more specifically Fiore. They continue to wreak havoc while searching for Zeref. I will assimilate Acnologia's appearance later on into the story.

Meanwhile, all past and present events in this story are entirely of my own doing.

As mentioned in one of my earlier chapters, I wrote that Gray is an S-Class mage. That's right— I've taken liberties and made several of the trial's participants S-Class mages already: Natsu, Gray and Cana. I may or may not explain my reasons for making Makarov do so (because Makarov is the one to grant his mages S-Class status, no?) in the future. But for the moment, let's just assume Makarov granted S-Class status to Natsu and Gray for their courage and fighting prowess, and to Cana for finding the grave of Mavis Vermillion (for that was the original objective, wasn't it?). Apparently, from what I read in the manga, defeating Makarov seems to be the last stage of the trial. But, again, let's assume that the last stage was to find the grave of Mavis… It's my story after all! *shot*

That isn't all—I am sure all of you have noticed my new addition to _Fairy Tail_'s current list of magics: the dragon-form of dragon slayers. I won't be elaborating much on how that works here in this A/N. But some of you may be curious as to how in the world could a new ability of dragon slayers surface within the little time between the events on Tenrou Island and present. Once again, we shall assume that the 'little time' was not so little after all (because of yours truly here) and that the duration of that time is approximately four months; during which, Earthland discovers this wonderful new ability, the 'ultimate' dragon slayer attack, which allow dragon slayers to transform into a dragon of their element. However, know that using that 'ultimate' attack/move/magic does not _make_ them a dragon. Want explanations? The [more or less] full details will be revealed in [much] later chapters.

As for Lyon… I'm sure many of you are wondering how in the world he could have suddenly advanced into a dragon slayer. I'm sure the answer's all there in the anime itself. No worries if you can't figure it out… this will be explained, too, in the future. But it's a no-brainer, really :/ A clap on the back for those who manage to figure it out!

I will stop here because I only intended to clarify the above matters in my story. Anything more than what I have already said will be _spoilersss_ :3

**My lovely, lovely reviewers, you have not been forgotten. **Your comments really hearten me and are the reason why this chapter was posted today and not a million years later. A really, really big thank you to **darkhuntressxir**, **27CansOfTuna**, **simply anonymous**, **Rewinsan**, **MiyuTanemura**, **Saany** and **Master of the Hellish Yard**. You people don't know just how awesome you are! D;


	8. At The Edge

What do we have here? A new chapter, of course! :D

Not to mention, a thousand million billion thank yous to **27CansOfTuna**, **Saany**, **Rewinsan**, **MiyuTanemura**, **simply anonymous**, **mewsugarpudd**, **Shuiro**, **HubrisP**, **CsillaDream**, **hello** and **GodIsDead** for their reviews. Can you guys see these tears of joy pooling around my toes? Can you? *squeezes you people* You guys are simply _freaking awesome_.

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><p><strong>8. At The Edge<strong>

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><p>This was bad.<p>

Sort of.

Gray probably could not handle Natsu at this point of time, post-heatstroke as it was, but maybe this… this he might be able to worm his way out of. The odds were not promising though. If this man was here, the rest should be on their way as well. It would be best if he limited his encounters with Fairy Tail mages to such this one—but even so, this could be tough fighting his way out.

Giving the other's chest a hard push, Gray was surprised to feel him fall back obligingly. He couldn't say he wasn't suspicious of that. Clambering to his feet, he dusted his scuffed clothes off and scoured the ground with his gaze, careful to keep one eye on the man. His water flask had slipped from his grip during his near-fall into the water channel. He was sure he heard it strike cement. It would be extremely inconvenient if it had rolled into the channel and was washed away. He simply did not have time to buy a new one—and a water flask was absolutely necessary for his journey.

"I take it you are looking for this?"

He whirled around to see the shiny metal container dangling from the man's fingers. Without preamble he lunged for it, only to miss as the other evaded his attempt by dancing out of reach. His anxiety over having his cover blown amplified and morphed into a fit of rage at the nonchalant expression on the other. That bastard knew he was well and truly cornered, hence was currently toying with him. The man was playing for time, keeping him in place while waiting for the others to arrive. He debated running now, while there was still time.

But he really needed his water flask. Would it be worth the risk of capture?

"Give that back."

A sharp-toothed grin in his direction was followed by a teasing, "Say please."

Then again, he could fight. The damn man was asking for it. He hadn't gone to such pains to escape just so he would be caught and serve as a lion's plaything. Slamming his fist on his left palm, he watched a familiar white-blue magic circle enlarge before his fist and growled, "Ice-make: Lance!"

From his magic circle sprung forth elongated ice in the shape of lances, curving rapidly towards the man in a deadly trajectory. At such speed, the close range between him and the man would make it difficult for the other to avoid the attack. Needless to say, the pointed end of one ice-lance found its mark and sank into pale flesh. The man ducked the rest of the icy barrage by flinging himself to one side, cursing all the way. The water flask was dropped unceremoniously on to the ground. Gray winced as it hit the cement with a loud, clanging sound. Darting over to retrieve his flask, he quickly backed away, eying the man like he was an agitated rattlesnake, coiled and ready to strike. He felt a little guilty for thinking that of a friend—but it would be paranoia that would keep him alive and free for now.

"Damn, Gray, you didn't have to be so violent."

He didn't bother replying, being too busy trying to figure out how the hell could he defuse the situation. It wouldn't bode well for him if he started his journey with injuries. It would make him all the more susceptible to the dangers he would undoubtedly encounter. Fiore was teeming with rotten Dark Guild members nowadays, and their strength was not to be underestimated. His fingers tightened around his water flask as the other man resumed a casual stance and walked closer, but he didn't back away.

"You don't seem happy to see me. I'm hurt." A hand was pressed dramatically to his left breast to emphasise the words.

"Quit playing around with me!" Gray spat. "What are you up to?"

"What are _you_ up to?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Then neither is my business here of yours."

Gray scoffed, knowing that the conversation would be going nowhere. "Why bother asking me what I'm up to when you already know?"

Seriousness nudged out the playfulness in the other's dark eyes. "You misunderstand. I'm not asking you what you intend to do. I'm asking you_ why_."

"Is this a ruse to keep me distracted while the rest of Fairy Tail zeroes in on me?"

The man sighed. "If it was, I wouldn't have stopped you from touching the water."

This brought to mind the other's spoken words just before he dipped his fingers into the water channel. His eyes narrowed. "Yes, what was that about?" He received an amused look.

"I thought it would be pretty obvious since you know practically everyone is looking for you."

"Juvia?" Gray unconsciously put a greater distance between him and the channel, feeling a sort of terror that one would not have expected to be caused by a harmlessly obsessed woman. "S-She's—"

It was obvious that the man was trying to desist from laughing at the stricken look that was no doubt etched on his face. "No, she isn't here. Now tell me, who am I?"

He was shaken out of his fear by the absurd words and could only stare blankly. "What?"

"Let me rephrase… what am I?"

His eyes narrowed. "What the h—"

"What am I?" The other repeated forcefully.

This was definitely a ploy to keep him distracted. But he wanted to know where the conversation would be taking them, and his curiosity at other's uncharacteristic behaviour got the better of him. "What are you?" He said, failing to disguise the scorn and suspicion in his voice. "Leo, the lion spirit, of course."

"Yes, and if I'm out of the Spirit World, then…"

Gray felt like the bottom might have dropped out of his stomach. "Oh, shit. Aquarius."

Loke cast a half-wry grin in his direction. "Very good. Now what are you going to do?"

His anger was back in full force. Damn Fairy Tail for obstructing his way at every turn, for making it so horrendously difficult to accomplish his this one goal. Plus, it wasn't as if what he was doing was something that would affect the guild negatively. It wasn't betrayal. It most definitely wasn't illegal. And now it was likely all modes of transport were out of commission for him. He didn't notice that his fingernails were digging into his palm and drawing blood until another pair of hands touched his clenched fist and attempted to unfurl his curled fingers. He whisked away, suddenly frightened and ready to battle. "Get away from me!"

He didn't miss the flash of hurt in Loke's eyes. A pang of guilt forced him to relax noticeably enough in hope it might soften the effect his reaction had on the man. He glanced away awkwardly. "I didn't… I thought you were going to tie my hands so I couldn't run."

It was a stupid reason, one that showed plainly his mistrust, but it wasn't an excuse.

He could almost hear the strawberry-blonde smile. "And I stopped you from alerting Aquarius to your presence... why?"

Flushing, he insisted on defending his common sense. "Well, you could have wanted the glory all to yourself. Maybe you wanted to show off to Lucy." He winced inwardly at his last few words. It had revealed a tad too much than he was comfortable with. He hastily added, "Anyway, you're only here to capture me and drag me back to Fairy Tail."

His cheeks heated up further as Loke doubled up, laughing, before he had even finished talking. It was obvious where the mirth was directed towards.

"Shut up!" He threw a punch, trying to cover up his embarrassment with anger. His pride was significantly bruised as the other man caught his fist in a hand without even pausing in his laughter. When he attempted to brain the man with his flask, his wrist was easily caught. "Damnit!" He growled, desperation jerking his knee upwards in the classic defensive move. Laughter ceasing, Loke side-stepped effortlessly without breaking his hold on him and backed him into the red brick wall lining the pavement, pinning his wrists to his sides.

The lion spirit smiled down at him. "Who said anything about capturing you?"

"But Makarov—"

"I summoned myself out, as usual."

That explained how Lucy was able to have Aquarius out at the same time. Loke was also subtly hinting that by doing so, his obligation to follow Makarov's orders were ambiguous, as he was a Fairy Tail member despite being a Celestial Spirit. This meant that the lion spirit could actually be helping him this time. Gray felt a spark of hope flare within him, but quickly crushed it. He had gotten rid of Natsu for a very good reason; a reason that also applied to Loke. But first, he had to ascertain what the man intended to do.

"Then what are you doing here?" Gray asked, looking up suspiciously at the other.

"To warn you."

"Of what?"

"To stay away from water?"

"Oh." He felt rather silly. And touched. "Well. Thank you."

"But that's not all." The mischievous gleam was back in the lion spirit's eyes. "I also wanted to tell you to be careful and keep an eye out for Virgo… if you can."

His eyes widened. "Lucy summoned—"

Loke stepped back from him, releasing his hold to wave a hand dismissively. "No, no. I think Lucy is capable of summoning two spirits at one time only in the most dire of situations. She only summoned Aquarius. Virgo and I opened our gates out of our own volition."

"But how did you know about my… um, escape?"

A deep chuckle escaped the other's lips. "Ah, that was an amusing spectacle. Aquarius was having some lovey-dovey time with her precious Scorpios. I'm sure you can imagine the rest."

Gray chuckled lightly. "I certainly can. But, wait... why would Aquarius still be out here in this world then, if she went back to Scorpios?"

The lion spirit looked sheepish. "Well, I sort of blackmailed Aquarius. I told Scorpios to tell her to obey Lucy for this one time. You know how obliging people in love can be towards their significant other…"

"That's cruel." Though amusement was playing across the ice mage's face as he said that.

Loke laughed. "Well, I had to make sure we found you."

Gray paused at that, his eyes narrowing. "Really, what's the actual reason for you willing to summon yourself out to look for me? Did Lucy persuade you to?"

"No. We – Virgo and I – overheard Aquarius ranting to Scorpius, and we also sensed Lucy's distress through our contracts. I stayed behind a little while to convince Aquarius to help out, while Virgo went on ahead without me..." The lion spirit gave him a significant look as he trailed off. He caught on instantly. He had to haul ass immediately, before the lightning bolt that was Virgo dropped by, hauled him over her shoulder and deposited him at Lucy's feet in five seconds flat. He was already turning to go.

"Talk later. Maybe a couple of months later. Bye."

"What– hey! Gray, wait!"

He swiveled around, glaring dangerously. "I really appreciate your help, Loke, but in case I haven't already made it clear with my prior actions, let me say this once again: I am on my way to find and kill that bastard Lyon, and I am going alone. _Alone_."

There was a rush of wind and suddenly he was face-to-face with an enraged lion, coughing out air and feeling a dull pain spread across his back. He struggled to get a hold on Loke, wrapping his fingers around the other's wrists and tearing away the hands that were gripping his shoulders. In response, the strawberry-blonde pushed him even more roughly against the red brick wall, using his greater body weight to pin him in place.

"What the hell!"

"I should be asking you that!" Gray had never seen Loke so agitated. "So this was what you've been up to? You're trying to go after a dragon slayer who has attained his dragon-form? Do you have a death wish? Are you suicidal?"

But Gray didn't bother to defend himself. Instead, his expression was one of astonishment and bewilderment as he spluttered. "You mean... you mean, you didn't know?"

"Of course I didn't!" The lion spirit shoved at him in furious concern. "I didn't have the time to find out, did I? In between Aquarius and her whining and the distorted emotions we were getting from Lucy, we were guessing wildly as to what happened in your world. In the few minutes wasted while we decided if we should summon ourselves out, it was – well, that's self-explanatory. Don't tell me you've forgotten about the time difference in the Spirit World and this world?"

"I didn't forget," snapped Gray, his confusion slowly giving way to flustered outrage. "But, just now – when I implied that you knew what I was up to – why didn't you say anything?"

"With knowledge of your most recent quarrel with Natsu, I naturally assumed it was another scuffle between you two – albeit a more violent one, given the context behind it – and that you were going someplace particularly risky to let off steam," answered Loke, looking torn between annoyance and anger. "How was I to know you _were_ actually planning to do something as precarious as this? Have you even considered the repercussions of your actions, especially the impact they'll have on your friends?"

"That's besides the point," Gray replied hotly, turning his face to the side to hide the flush on his cheeks. "Now that you know, will you kindly please let me go on my way without any further interruptions? I've had had enough of everyone obstructing me from going on my journey, Loke. Don't rile me up any further."

"Why are you still going after Lyon?" asked the lion spirit instead, his tone serious and persistent.

The dark-haired boy had to repress a groan. "Damnit, stop asking already! Besides, didn't you say you were helping me? Now you're just delaying me further!"

"That was before I knew you were going on this suicidal mission," growled Loke, his hands returning to their original position on Gray's shoulders and pushing hard enough to make the other wince. "And you haven't answered my question. Why do you insist on going after Lyon? Answer me!"

Gray refused to look up or reply.

"Gray, wasn't this issue long dealt with? Are you not convinced that this is a goal not worth pursuing?" The lion spirit tightened his hold on the boy's shoulders, making him suck in a breath. "Is this because you feel obligated to?"

That made the ice mage glance up in shock. Upon seeing his startled expression, Loke laughed grimly and pushed one of his shoulders hard against the wall. "I'm right, aren't I? You feel responsible for the attacks."

Push.

"You feel guilty for causing his insanity."

Another push.

"You want to give your life for those who have already lost theirs, even though you know it changes nothing."

At the fourth push, the dark-haired boy raised a fist and slammed it into the lion spirit's chest, who gritted his teeth but otherwise said nothing about the pain. "Gray, let me help you help yourself. You don't have to do this alone. You don't have to do _this_."

Gray bowed his head, until his forehead pressed against the other's chest, right where his fist had been previously. "I know," he said in a slightly choked tone. "I know, but I have to."

There was a pause, then Loke gave his shoulders a light squeeze, his tone warm and sympathetic as he said, "If you must... at least let me help you, then."

"How?" The ice mage murmured, tilting his head back to search the other's expression for giveaways of any sort. It would be friends, especially close friends, whom he had to be most cautious around, as it was likely they had his "best interests at heart" and would stop at nothing to prevent him from going on his journey. What will Loke do? "How are you going to help me?"

"In any way I can."

"Why?" the dark-haired boy demanded to know, suspicion colouring his tone once more. "Why do you want to help me?"

The lion spirit shrugged, but his gaze was sharp and steady. "Because I want to."

"You'll stop the rest from catching me if I asked you to?" asked Gray, keeping his eyes fixed squarely on Loke's face, almost fully expecting a negative response to his request. He was getting ready to make a run for it the moment there was the slightest hint of the other's change of mind.

"Yes," replied the lion spirit without a trace of hesitation.

Gray paused, expression contemplative as he absorbed the other's words. Meanwhile, he had to avert his gaze to hide the skepticism that was no doubt showing in his eyes. Dubious as he might be, he had no wish to unintentionally offend or hurt his friend by revealing what he truly thought of his friend's reply. Carefully schooling his countenance, he returned his gaze to Loke's face to find the blonde staring steadfastly at him. His teeth nipped and chewed nervously at his bottom lip as he pondered. Loke's sincerity seemed genuine, but was he willing to risk it? What if... what if, in the end, Loke betrayed him and had him bundled back to Fairy Tail? Or, worse, put his own life in danger for his sake? He couldn't even bear to think about it. No, it was hazardous for Loke to help him, or even be around him. Remembering the extent of Erza's and Natsu's injuries when they last fought Lyon to protect him, he knew he would be damned if he wittingly put more friends in peril.

Still, he couldn't help asking, "But why? I don't understand why would you help me? Besides wanting to, there is nothing else you would gain from helping me."

Loke smiled slightly. "Well, for one, you'll trust me more... as you should."

Gray tapped his fingernails against the metal casing of his water flask as he mused over the matter. Finally, with the concern of his limited time of freedom weighing heavily on his conscience, he decided he might as well help both the lion spirit and himself by taking the other up on his offer. It was tempting enough anyway, as it gave him the opportunity of escaping together. Though he had always maintained with his comrades that he absolutely had to hunt Lyon down alone, deep in his heart he had secretly longed for them to accompany him. Faced with the imminent prospect of wandering around strange lands all by himself, he had found his self-imposed task growing increasingly daunting with each setback to his plans for escape. He almost hoped that Loke came along with him in the end – almost.

There was no way he would allow a friend to endanger their life for him again. This was his responsibility, not theirs. If Loke wished to follow him after complying with his request, he'll have no choice but to sorely disappoint.

"Then, will you help me stall the rest while I make my escape?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, Loke." He gave the other a small smile before turning to go, casting uneasy looks around at his surroundings. He had wasted enough time. It was time to be gone. "I owe you one."

"On one condition," continued the blonde.

Gray swung around impatiently, letting out an exasperated gush of air through his mouth as he shot the other man an irked look. "Yes, what is it?"

"I get to accompany you on your journey."

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><p>Boy, it doesn't end, does it? At least we now know that Gray has really loyal and caring friends! :D And, don't worry, we'll be seeing much more of Natsu in the next chapter... I wonder if anyone else besides me found the Loke+Gray interactions adorable? I do have a bit of a soft spot for LokeGray, whether it is platonic or not! xD


	9. Escapade

No, I'm not an imposter. Yes, I had a name change. And, wow, has it really been nearly a month since I last updated this story? Eh, no matter. Here's the ninth chapter for your reading pleasure!

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><p><strong>9. Escapade<strong>

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><p>A low, inquisitive whinny sounded from within the stables.<p>

The shadowy figure outside the door winced and glanced furtively around, hoping no one heard and decided to pay their property a visit at a quarter after one. The figure waited several moments before spinning around and poking his head behind the door that had been left slightly ajar.

"What are you doing?" Gray hissed in exasperation. "Just pick one and go!"

He was replied with an indignant snort that was distinctly equine.

"Loke!" He hissed. "Stop fooling around with the mares!"

"I'm a lion," came his companion's miffed voice. "I do not acquaintance myself with equines."

"Then what the hell are you doing?"

"Choosing a horse is an intricate process, Gray." Loke's voice wafted over to him, hushed and sagely. "It is a procedure that cannot be rushed. One must select the appropriate physique, determine its temperament, estimate its speed and endurance–"

The ice mage grasped the edge of the stables door and flung it open, before stomping fully into the building and placing his arms akimbo. From a stall, Loke glanced up with a sheepish expression on his face and attempted to subtly remove his hands from a mare's flank.

"What?" The man protested. "I was ascertaining her strength!"

Gray sighed. Really, sometimes the lion spirit was more frisky than was strictly necessary. But he knew it wouldn't be fair to put the full blame on Loke. Flirting was an inherent part of his character, being the young, healthy lion that he was. Most of the time he did not realise what he was doing. But, horses? Really? He was beginning to regret acquiescing to the other man's request... and this absurd idea – which actually constituted as theft!

(But what was he to do? Lyon was more important now. He had to find Lyon. Must find Lyon. No matter that he stole or destroyed–)

Given the limited time they had, the dark-haired mage was jittery and more than half-paranoid. Sometimes he thought he could see people hiding in the shadows or sensed people lurking behind his back, but when he whirled around there was no one there. His frustration was growing by the second.

"Gray." The ice mage looked up to see Loke standing before him with a serious expression. "If you are having second thoughts, I'll be more than willing to accompany you back to Fairy Tail." He narrowed his eyes – the other man seemed to appear a little too hopeful. "It's alright if you want to turn back. It's best if you do so, while you still can."

"No, Loke," he replied, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest. "It seems like _you _are having second thoughts about following through with my quest for vengeance. So it's best if _you_ turn back while you still can."

_Please don't. Stay._

Gray squashed his silly sentiments into a ball and threw them over his shoulder.

"I'm going wherever you are." Loke said firmly.

The dark-haired boy didn't reply, only moved to the side and forwards in order to hide the beginnings of a grin. He purposefully headed deeper into the stables. The horses stood quietly, watching them with placid expressions upon their faces. He glanced around, running an expert eye over the animals. There was a limited variety of breeds here, but most appeared sturdy and reliable. What Loke said was true – although _he_ had been joking then – choosing a horse was a process that should not be rushed. A good horse could be all that stood between you and an untimely death.

Gray stopped before a stall, having his attention caught by this particular horse. It was a mare, with a beautiful chestnut coat and soft, liquid eyes. She nickered and stamped a hoof as he approached slowly, jerking her large head slightly to the side to eye him warily. Her silky auburn mane swayed as she moved her head. A quick glance at the plaque on the stall door told him that she was a Missouri Fox Trotter, about sixteen-point-two hands tall and was four years old. He shifted his gaze to the ground and turned away slightly, knowing that looking directly into a horse's eye would only spook them more. His patience was rewarded when the mare shuffled forwards a little in order to inspect him more closely.

"Hello, girl," he murmured softly.

The mare stretched her neck and snuffled at his hair curiously. He repressed a delighted chuckle at her actions, not wanting to scare her away. On the other hand, they had to choose their horses quickly and high-tail it out of there.

"Gray?"

"Shh," he whispered back, before reaching up slowly to card his fingers through her mane. He ran his fingers softly over the short, fine hairs of her cheek and grinned more broadly as the mare whickered appreciatively and nudged his hand with the side of her face. He couldn't keep back a wide grin this time. "You like being petted, don't you, girl?" He caught her muzzle firmly but gently between both hands, bringing her head down to his face before whistling lightly into her nose. The mare relaxed, her eyelids falling into half-mast.

When he looked up, he saw Loke staring.

"She's good to go," he said.

The lion spirit had an expression of slight awe as he moved forwards to stroke the mare's nose. After a few moments, he glanced at the stables door warily. "Should we go now?"

The ice mage frowned. "We haven't gotten your horse yet, Loke."

"We could share–"

"Absolutely not," Gray cut in. "We are too heavy for her. Besides, you're taller and heavier than me... you'll need a larger horse."

The strawberry-blonde tracked a disbelieving gaze from his friend to the mare. "You mean she's not large enough a size? But she's already so huge!"

Gray made an annoyed sound and turned to inspect the other horses present. "I think a gelding would be good for you... preferably from seventeen hands onwards."

Loke spluttered. "That's – that's gigantic!"

The dark-haired boy ignored his friend's protests and the temptation to call the other an amateur. He walked slowly around, mentally assessing the horses he passed. There was only seven horses available. One horse emitted a bugling neigh as he went by, eliciting a wince. When he turned, he saw that it was an immense stallion, gazing challengingly in his direction. Once they made eye contact, the stallion released an explosive snort and laid its ears back, its neck curved in such a way that the neck muscles were visibly taut. Immediately, he dropped his gaze down to the straw-covered ground and lowered his head, trying to make himself appear as small and non-threatening as possible. No doubt the stallion was regarding him as a threat to its herd - the six other horses were probably all mares, which will increase the stallion's hostility – and wanted to protect them, as well as show its claim over its territory. He was an intruder and a potential predator. It was a potent combination that had him praying the stallion would not trample its stall door down before doing the same to him. He could defend himself, of course, but he would rather not use his Ice magic on them.

"Gray!" Loke's voice called out in a worried tone, and rapid footsteps sounded behind him.

"Shh!" The ice mage hissed back urgently. "Stay away – don't come any closer!"

Silence fell, save for the slight rustling of the straw beneath Gray's boots as he slowly backed away.

It was a few tense moments before the stallion lowered its head ever so slightly and exhaled, its ears still pressed back to its head but not as tightly as before.

Gray sighed softly in relief – then swallowed a startled gasp as he was grabbed from behind and pulled backwards. He would have stumbled if Loke wasn't currently directly behind him, with his arms around his waist.

"Are you alright?" asked the lion spirit urgently, spinning him around to look him over with an anxious eye.

The ice mage rolled his eyes. "Nothing even happened, Loke." He pulled free from the other man.

"We have to hurry," muttered Gray as he scanned through the horses. The bay was a tad too small, and the black looked a little too frail for the long journey they would be undertaking. Then his eyes fell upon a white horse, in the furthest stall, its colour clearly visible in the gloom of the dimly lit stables. When he approached the animal and had a closer look, he realised that it was actually a gray. From certain angles, one could see that its skin was black underneath its white hair coat. He inspected the horse with a critical eye, noting with approval its short, strong back and wide loin - which would enable it to carry a heavier weight. The horse looked to be sufficiently tall, and was deep-chested with strong, muscular legs. It was looking at him with wide, intelligent eyes, and several moments of observation informed him that it would be a quietly powerful creature. The shiny, metal plaque told him that it was an Orlov Trotter gelding, about three years old and around seventeen hands tall. Perfect.

"Take this one," he told Loke. "Start tacking up."

He whirled around back to his chestnut mare, careful to skirt around the stallion's stall to avoid agitating it further. He had no idea if that thunderous neigh had awoken the property owners, and had no intention of finding out. He grabbed the necessary tack, calling softly to Loke as he did so, "Make sure to take the correct tack – that saddle and bridle, yes, on the left to your gelding. Now, put the bridle on first before leading him out."

Gray fixed his saddle and bridle, before giving the stirrups a few, experimental pulls to adjust it to his liking. When he glanced over at Loke, he found the man looking quite lost, standing with the saddle in one hand and the bridle a stringy mess around the gelding's head. He gave an exasperated snort and quickly looped his mare's reins around the nearby pillar before hurrying over to the lion spirit. With a dirty look at the other, he set about freeing the poor gelding and shaking out the tangled bridle. Slotting the bit into the horse's mouth, he used both hands to slide the head piece over nervously flicking ears, one at a time. He fastened the throat lash and nose band securely, making sure there was sufficient space between the material and the gelding's head before turning his attention to the saddle. Throughout, he was acutely aware of Loke's steady, fascinated gaze on him as he fussed with the gear. He forced himself to keep his eyes trained on the smooth, brown leather of the saddle as he tightened the girth and adjusted the stirrups as accurately as he could while mentally estimating the other man's leg length and foot size. His gaze scoured the flexible yet durable leather stirrups approvingly; it would be comfortable for both the rider and horse.

"There," he finally said, stepping back to allow Loke to mount. "That should do it."

He almost jumped as a hand took his and squeezed lightly. "Thanks, Gray."

"It's nothing," he muttered, doggedly not looking the other man in the eye as he pulled his hand back. "Just remember not to pull the reins too much or too hard as the bit might injure the horse's mouth. Try to use the seat or your legs to direct your horse instead. Also, keep your back straight but relaxed when we trot or canter, and go with the flow of your horse's movement or it'll be really uncomfortable for both the horse and you."

"You seem to know a lot about horses," remarked Loke as the dark-haired boy made his way back to his mare.

Gray hesitated a little before replying, "Back when I was with Ur... we traveled a lot by horse-drawn caravan. Ur dealt with our logistics, so I was mostly responsible for the horse."

Loke nodded in understanding, before squeezing his legs lightly against the sides of his gelding, prompting it to move forwards. Gray pushed the stables door open, waiting for the other man to exit before leading his horse out. He closed the door and locked it before mounting the mare, re-checking that his gear were all properly fitted before clicking his tongue and giving the reins a short wave to get the mare moving. Once he had established a steady trot, he urged the mare into a canter, easily over-taking Loke.

"Wait, Gray!"

He quickly hushed the other man before instructing, "Tighten your inside rein and place your inside leg behind the girth, then squeeze with your outside leg and push your horse forward with your seat."

"What?"

"When cantering, the horse should start with its inside foreleg," Gray called back over his shoulder. "The inside rein, leg or foreleg would be the one on the inside of a circle or bend."

"What?"

Gray sighed and skilfully directed his own horse into a gentle right turn, so that he was now facing the other man. "Imagine if you were riding in a complete circle - the leg following the inner circumference of the circle would be the inside leg, and likewise for the inside rein. The opposite goes for the outside leg or rein." He maneuvered his mare such that he now matched Loke's pace. "Alright, let's take your right leg to be the outside leg for now. Put your right leg behind the girth - there, that thick leather band that encircles the horse's body. Put your foot back more. Just behind the girth – stop! Now squeeze both legs – keep your left leg _on_ the girth! Yes – that's cantering. Now go with the flow – no, _don't_ lean forwards or grip the reins so tightly!"

He urged his own mare into a canter to keep up with Loke. His eyebrows were furrowed as he fretted over the other man not riding correctly, but he knew they could not waste anymore time. Once they were safely on the outskirts of Magnolia town, he would collect his backpack from where he had it hidden within a bush beside one of the more deserted trails and then they would be on their way. He'll advise Loke on cantering once they were clear from danger. For now, they'll have to make do.

"Come on," he told Loke, who nodded.

Then they made their way down the lonely, dusty road.

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><p>It was well past midnight and the search efforts, although intense, had come up short on Gray's whereabouts. Natsu was tired and hungry, and he thought that perhaps his olfactory senses were burnt out by now. In his hands was a tattered piece of cloth, heavy with the scent of his best friend. Before he had begun the hunt, he had inhaled, and inhaled again, until the olfactory code of Gray's scent was deeply ingrained into his brain – so deeply he did not think he would ever forget it.<p>

It was the scent of winter and frozen nights, and he missed it so much. So much so that at times he thought he might just sink to his knees and stare blankly at the now-familiar fabric wound around his fingers until someone came by and shook him back into awareness. He had been searching incessantly for hours, only to find at the end of the night that it was to no avail. Throughout his own search, he had encountered many of his comrades, but never the one he wanted to meet the most. When the clock tower struck midnight, he was nearly overcome with frustration, and would have howled aloud at the futileness of his quest if not for the fact that Erza had just flown by outfitted in her Black Wing armor. He was sure that the fiery-haired girl would have insisted – by solely physical means - that he returned to headquarters until he was in a saner frame of mind. Boy, would he rage, then.

__Damn it, Gray, where the hell are you?__

There had been the faintest wisp of the ice mage's scent near a fountain, but it had been overwhelmed by countless scents of unknown persons and objects. There was a strange smell that overrode everything else, a perplexing mixture of animal and human that bewildered his draconic senses. It was uncannily familiar and it unsettled him. Most of all, his senses took exceeding notice of a particular characteristic in the unusual scent. It spoke strongly of dominance and confidence. Although the rational, human part of his mind was tempted to simply ignore it and be on his way, his inner dragon was greatly affronted by its domineering presence and had half a mind to track down this individual and give it a thorough thrashing for intruding and cavorting on his territory – and for flaunting that very fact. He had to spend a few moments to wrestle down the draconic instincts that were arising within him and demanding that he reassert his authority over his territory.

When he turned to other thoughts, he was instead assaulted with a crippling sense of loss. He was alarmed by the sudden, intense desire to lay waste to Magnolia Town in his dragon-form until the one he sought repented, and returned to him. He was grinding his teeth together in the effort to remain calm as he half-staggered over to the grassy area to the right of the pavement and leaned wearily against the rough bark of an oak tree. Now was not the time to go crazy. Though a small part of him – the draconic part – was still roaring to hunt down both the ice mage and the perpetrator of the bizarre scent. He slid down the tree trunk and balanced heavily on his toes with his back against the tree.

Had he really failed? Was Gray truly lost to him, then?

For a moment he was transported back into the past, to a moment where he had been just as helpless and at a loss as now. He could somewhat remember that instance. It had been a dreary and rain-tinged afternoon, the water droplets only serving to dampen his mood, his spirits and his fire magic. He had been struggling like he had never before that afternoon, trying desperately to warm the injured fawn he had found in the woods with his fire magic, but to no avail. His magic had been minimal then, and hardly anything to even speak about. He could only watch as the fawn shivered in the slight drizzle and wasted away in bone-numbing coldness, its life-blood seeping away with the rainwater into the damp, sodden grass. His tears mixed with the rain as he gently stroked the fawn's slender muzzle that rested on his lap, hating how helpless they both were. He was watching the fawn's delicate nostrils quiver with every drip of a raindrop upon it when from the side a titanic body shouldered the ferns and bushes aside and snaked a serpentine head into the tiny clearing where he was situated in.

"Why do you weep, boy?"

At that time, he could only shake his head, almost mute with his sorrow.

The glittering, crystal-like orbs that were Igneel's eyes softened and darkened to a warm orange. "Then why do you do nothing about it?"

After a second's contemplation, he wrung his hands in despair and whispered, "I cannot." To prove it, he raised a hand with his palm turned upwards and drew on his magic. There was a tiny flare of fire, before it was extinguished by the rain.

Igneel only regarded him with eyes of a blood-red hue.

Natsu had waited, until he could wait no more, take no more of his foster father's silence, before slamming his hands on to the ground beside him and shouted, "Why do _you_ do nothing about it!"

Still, the fire dragon did not move or make a sound.

Natsu had yelled his frustration to the weeping sky.

Igneel shifted - sparking a faint hope within him that maybe the dragon would help - but only to turn and pad away. Rumbling from the dragon's crimson-scaled chest was a parting shot, "Take life as you find it, but don't leave it that way." And then the dragon leapt into the air, smashing through leaves and branches, winging into the sky.

Natsu was open-mouthed with confusion for nary a second before his nimble mind grasped at what the dragon was trying to convey. He gathered the dying fawn into his arms before springing to his feet and hurtling after the dragon as swiftly as he could – heading towards the cave they called home. When he finally arrived, there was Igneel, crouched before a blazing fire and a smile in his eyes.

A week later, he and Igneel – a boy and a dragon – stood side by side as they watched the recovered fawn trot away to freedom.

If anything, his recollection of that particular instance in his past had just reminded him to make haste. It was no use to dwell on his faults or failings. Hesitating and wallowing in self-deprecation had never helped him before, and that one memory proved so.

Then what was he doing now?

Oh, that's right. Leaning languidly against a tree trunk while his best friend strayed further and further away from him.

Natsu growled and sprang to his feet, baring his sharp teeth at the innocent fireflies darting by. Restlessness filled him, as well as an eagerness to be on his way. Why was he lounging around when there were thngs to be done and people to find? Renewed determination surged through him, filling his veins with fire and setting his blood alight. Unbeknownst to him, his purpose had shifted to one of reclamation, as opposed to simple seeking previously.

So, what was he to do now?

__Find someone.__

Half a minute later, a large, winged shape was silhouetted against the gibbous moon as it soared across the quietening town.

Who was he to find?

__My mate.__

"**I'm coming for you, Gray.**"

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><p><span>And that is why you should not read Veela-themed HP fics before writing non-HP fics.<span> *note to self*

Were you surprised? Then that makes the two of us. But I guess this just made things a lot more interesting... I think (and hope)! o.O I wasn't expecting it either. Hm. But it's a fascinating turn, don't you agree? o:

**My darling reviewers!** Once again, you've made me delirious with joy and all things nice and spice. Virtual cookies to these darlings: **Saany**, **darkangel1992**, **LaMindy**, **HubrisP,** **27CansOfTuna**, **Rewinsan**, **moonlightnight1**, **AUehara**, F**ishyAppiePie**, **simply anonymous** and **Haik12**.

Anddddd I shall spare a moment for shameless self-advertising here. **I've a new story!** I'll be uploading it right after this. **Go check out **_**Naturally**_** if top!Natsu/bottom!Gray is your thing. **It certainly is mine, hence the birth of _Naturally_.

Ugh. I'm abusing the font styles today.


	10. Of Ambushes And Wayward Lions

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><p>Just a head's up for my readers. Due to the recent clamp-down on fiction with MA (mature adult) content, this story will not contain explicit sex scenes. Please read the update at the bottom of my profile for more details.<p>

On to a happier note: _Thank you_ to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and put this story on alert! Special thank-yous to Lavibookman321, angelfromthedarkside, 27CansOfTuna, AUehara, Indh13, Nightshadowmidnight and Rewinsan for reviewing. I know I haven't been replying to all your reviews lately, but life really has been busy. Just know that you guys are awesome!

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><p><strong>10. Of Ambushes And Wayward Lions<strong>

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><p><strong>May, X784<strong>

At Loke's pained cry, Gray started almost violently and whipped around – turning his back on his own battle.

It was his turn to cry out as a summer storm struck him and swallowed him directly into a maelstrom of leaves, petals, twigs and branches. His vision was obscured as a substance plastered themselves to every available patch of bare skin and solidified, encompassing him with a thick layer of disgusting coolness. He guessed correctly that it was mud. Through his internal struggle with claustrophobia, he vaguely registered that he had toppled sideways and was probably now lying prone on the ground.

He couldn't see anything, but could hear, somewhat, the commotion outside from inside his prison of mud and soil. It was revolting, the way the mud was pressed against every pore and crevice in his body, packed into his ears and nose and mouth. The wet, earthy smell of the mud invaded his nostrils, making his throat convulse as he tried not to gag. It was slimy, wet and thoroughly nauseating. Not to mention dark and restrictive. He couldn't even open his eyes – how was he to summon his magic to free himself?

And what about Sienna, and Arion? Where were they now? Were they safe? He fervently hoped so. Besides them being an essential means of transport, he had really taken to Sienna. The mare was sweet-tempered, but appropriately fiery when the situation called for it. It wouldn't go down well with him should she be harmed. No, there would be hell to pay.

There was a sudden, great impact that collided into him from the side, causing a dull thud to reverberate throughout his entire body. A sharp, stabbing sensation exploded up his side, but he couldn't move an inch, nor verbalise his pain. His eyes rolled blindly beneath his eyelids, frantically seeking the enemy he cannot see. And – and his body was rotating, he realised, in increasingly occurring cycles of three-hundred-and-sixty degrees. Whatever that had hit him must have dislodged him from his original position and set the momentum going. Trapped inside a mud-and-soil prison that clung to him like a second skin, he could only despair as he sensed himself picking up speed, heading towards god knows where. He would have groaned out loud if he could.

This was so utterly _stupid_.

He was also quite sure his present supply of oxygen was quickly running out.

Gray was cheek-reddeningly mortified. This was not how he expected a battle between rogue dark mages and one of Fairy Tail's S-Class mages to conclude. Death by asphyxiation was not how he had it planned out. If he ever made it back to the battle scene in one piece – though he couldn't be too certain about his pride – he was going to repay those bastards for what they did. _Tenfold_.

That is – once he stopped rolling.

He concentrated on his magic, obstinately ignoring the bumps and jerks as he was transported - against his will - across all manner of surfaces. A low growl shouldered its way through mud and clenched teeth, and slowly, the dark prison brightened up with an ice-blue glow.

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><p>It took a multitude of swears and curses – all in his head, of course, he couldn't risk using up all his oxygen now could he? – and a misplaced bout of panic-induced paranoia before Gray finally broke free of the damning cocoon of mud and soil. He emerged with a triumphant yell a midst flying shards of ice, and promptly dived into the nearest clean water body he came across. It was indescribable – the feeling of washing all the filth and dirt from his body. It was nothing short of divine.<p>

This was relaxing. It reminded him of the times spent in Magnolia's Public Bath with the rest of Fairy Tail, chatting and lazing around and recuperating in the sinfully warm water, surrounded by white wisps of steam. The lake water was probably freezing, but to him it was the equivalent to what an average person would consider room temperature. The memories of the past were comforting, and they warmed him up where the water failed to do so. He felt vaguely nostalgic. The past few weeks were tedious and trying, and he was learning anew to survive and cope in the wilderness without a group of his comrades around him.

Hell, he even missed _Natsu_.

At least he had Loke, who was surprisingly carefree and easy to be around. The lion spirit didn't coddle him like the others had, but did occasionally display unnecessary concern for his well being at the oddest times. He found it strangely flattering, especially during a particular incident where they were startled by the sudden appearance of a lone Wyvern. He had barely time to blink before there was a small flash of light and Loke was crouched in a menacing stance between him and the Wyvern, still glowing from his transformation into his Celestial Spirit form, and growling lowly in a remarkably feline-like manner. He had scarcely opened his mouth to speak before the lion spirit sprang directly at the scaly creature, teeth bared and eyes slitted in his rage. Then, he had watched with a mixture of annoyance and awe as the lion spirit gave the beast such a thorough thrashing that he had to intervene lest the other killed it.

"I could have handled that Wyvern, you know," he had hinted none too subtly afterwards, as they sat facing each other while he patched the man up. He was impressed at the other's lack of injuries, but was far more irked with the fact that he hadn't even managed to join the fray. Loke had shrugged and muttered, "Couldn't let you get hurt, could I?"

Gray had pursed his lips and torn his eyes away from Loke's – no, _Leo's_ – spiky yet silky-looking hair.

Presently he was half-submerged in the cool water, almost losing himself in the soothing, cleansing lap of the water against his skin, until he looked up... and let out a yelp of faint distress. There, lounging by the lakeside, looking clearly worse for the wear, was Loke. The ice mage unconsciously bent his knees and curled up a bit more so that more of himself was submerged in water. He spluttered at the other's abrupt appearance. "L-Loke!"

"Enjoying yourself without me?" The lion spirit asked mournfully.

"The battle's over?" He asked in disbelief as he made to stand, then remembered his nudity and sank back deeper into the lake. His hands flapped reflexively in his consternation and sent ripples across the water surface. "Already?"

The other man shrugged and regarded him with an unreadable expression.

He flushed and looked away; for the few rare times in his life he was acutely conscious of his lack of clothing. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Whatever for?" The surprise was clear in the other's reply.

He glanced up in slight astonishment. "For leaving you to fight our battles alone?"

Loke's gaze was steady on him for a couple of heartbeats before it crinkled up at the sides as the other's lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. "That's the whole idea, isn't it?"

It clicked, then, and he scowled. "Look, I appreciate you being here with me on this journey, but if you're going to start treating me like I'm some kind of... like I'm made of porcelain or–"

"That was the second group of dark mages we've encountered in just this week." Loke interrupted. "If such occurrences are going to carry on in this manner, I'll rather I did the petty fighting while you conserve your strength for the battles that matter."

The battle with Lyon, in his ice dragon-form.

"We're in this _together–_"

"Strategy over sentimentality," Loke replied mildly. "Unless you want this journey to end in ruin, we've got to stick to suitable roles in order to survive."

Gray hated this authoritative side of Loke. He called it "Leo". It was when Loke's inherent leader-like traits dominated – where he was astute and perceptive, and whatever points he made were logical and discerning. The lion spirit wasn't the leader of the twelve Celestial Spirits for nothing.

"You've could have gotten badly injured," he said stubbornly. "You–"

"You mean like how you did in the first week, when we were ambushed by our first batch of dark mages?"

Gray ground his teeth together and glared daggers. "Will you _stop_ interrupting every time I–"

Loke gave a short, sharp whistle, abruptly cutting him off mid-word.

Knowing that the other had done that for the hell of it, he surged forwards once, and violently swept an armful of lake water in the other's direction. Not expecting the sudden assault, the other got a faceful of cold water. The lion spirit froze. They traded dark looks. He suppressed a shiver at the intense look he was given from behind dripping wet blonde locks.

Slowly, not taking his eyes off Gray, the strawberry-blonde carefully drew the back of a forearm across his eyes. The lion spirit stretched and climbed to his feet, all feline grace and poise, and remarked, "Worry about yourself, Gray. One of the benefits of being a Celestial Spirit is that I can't actually die. Not in this world, anyways." Unspoken were the words: not while I have a living, breathing owner anyways.

The ice mage's lips were tugged downwards by the mention of death, but that was why he had allowed Loke to accompany him in the first place. The strawberry-blonde was probably the only Fairy Tail member not bound by the natural laws of life and death, due to the fact he didn't belong in this world. He wasn't exactly sure what would happen should Loke's life force fail him, but he knew he would rather grab the other and run away screaming than find out. He opened his mouth to reply, but then the other man shot him a mischievous grin.

That was the only warning he got before Loke leapt and cannon-balled into the lake with him.

Now _that_ Gray wasn't anticipating.

He shrieked in near-hysteria as a great wave swamped him and left his entire being soaked - which was quickly followed by Loke crashing into him. He flailed as he fought to keep upright in the water, blinking furiously to prevent more water from getting into his eyes and trying his best not to swallow additional mouthfuls of chilly lake water. Reaching out almost blindly, his fingers closed around the other's biceps as he kicked ineffectively to maintain his balance.

_"Loke!"_

The lion spirit was cackling like a hyena as he shrugged Gray's hands off and proceeded to splash more water at the ice mage. The dark-haired boy shrieked even more at the stinging force of the water thrown at him and raised his arms defensively to shield his face.

Bad move. He was promptly tackled and pushed underwater.

Black and blonde hair swirled in tandem as they sank beneath the lake's surface, dark sapphire and onyx eyes locking as their worlds were plunged into the kind of echoing silence that could only come with being completely submerged in water. The gentle water currents sifted through their hair and caressed their skin. The sunlight from above refracted and angled through the depths of the lake, creating shifting patterns of golden-aquamarine patches of light that illuminated the watery depths, rippling and undulating over their intertwined bodies. For a moment, the sheer ethereality of their situation vanished whatever ire the ice mage had. They gazed wonderingly at each other, suspended and surrounded by feather-like eddies for awhile, seemingly locked in a timeless dimension of their own.

It took only a small stream of bubbles escaping from Gray's mouth and a fractional widening of his eyes for the lion spirit to understand and swiftly haul them both up. They surged upwards and broke the surface, water streaming in rivulets down their bodies as they emerged from their watery world. They panted, taking in gulps of sweet, fresh oxygen as they clung to each other for support, half-trembling, by the lake side.

"That..."

Suddenly aware of their close proximity, their gazes met briefly as they exchanged coy smiles. He blinked as the lion spirit tilted his head and pressed their foreheads gently together.

"...was amazing." Loke softly completed for him, and smiled a brilliant smile.

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><p>"I can't believe you just let us – let us <em>relax<em> like that while Sienna and Arion are now probably terrified out of their wits!" Gray railed, his tone acerbic and eyes flashing as he stalked along with Loke trailing rather miserably behind him. Their clothes were still dripping with lake water and left splotchy wet tracks that marked their path. "What if a Vulcan – or worse, a Wyvern – found and attacked them? What if Sienna got killed? And eaten? All because you wanted a little afternoon splash in the lake? Would you be willing to bear the guilt for the rest of_–_mmmff!"

Loke had reached out and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder before swinging him around and into him. He was hurtling straight into the lion spirit's chest before he even knew what was going on, his face smushing against the front of the other's wet shirt. He lashed out instinctively, kicking out, hands flying upwards to grip the strawberry-blonde's biceps and push the other away. Strong arms wound around his waist and held him firmly in place – firmly in place with the two of them flush against one another.

"Ow!"

Gray had whipped his head to the side and fastened his teeth on one of Loke's shoulders. It was a reaction so not unlike an aggravated kitten that he couldn't help letting out a startled chuckle. The ice mage clamped his jaws down harder, eliciting a wince from the lion spirit.

"You think this is funny?" Gray growled through his mouthful of wet shirt. "Huh? Interrupting me time and again?"

The lion spirit tightened his hold on the dark-haired boy and grinned down at messy, jet-black hair. "Well, yes."

Tilting his head up so that he could glare directly into Loke's dark eyes, he began spitting fire. "Stop playing around in the middle of a forest, you fool! We just got ambushed by those dastardly dark mages and here you are getting your kicks from riling me up. What if we got attacked again while we are distracted just so? What if Sienna got attacked? What if_–_mmff!"

Loke slapped his hand to the boy's mouth, effectively putting an end to his rant. Still, tumultuously indignant sounds burst forth, slipping through the fingers pressed hard against Gray's lips. The ice mage strained even more violently to break free, muffled swears and curses surging out into open air by the intensity of his vexation.

"Gray, hush!"

The urgent ring to Loke's tone of voice cut through his haze of fury and immediately tempered his conniptions.

"What is it?" He asked breathlessly, trying to untangle himself from the other.

The lion spirit abruptly let him go and paced around, back stiffened with anxiety as he raised his nose to the air, sniffing fiercely. Gray was straightaway on guard, his stance defensive and his gaze wary as it swept his surroundings. Loke continued to stalk around, his growing tension evident by the way his lips were drawing back over his sharp teeth.

"What is it?" He hissed, softer this time. "Is someone there?"

The sound of a twig snapping lanced through the air, making him jump.

Instantly, Loke was by his side, circling him restlessly and snarling softly. He turned on the spot, too, in a direction opposite to Loke. His eyes darted around in an effort to spy whoever was out there, watching them.

"Who do you smell?" He murmured.

The lion spirit hesitated, the look in his eyes was one of reluctance, before he answered. "I smell... dragon."

The sound of slow, deliberate clapping had them whirling around in that direction. Loke pointedly inserted himself between the dark-haired boy and his perceived danger. There was a flash of pointed white teeth, a whiff of a creature that was discernibly draconic, before the stranger emerged into the open.

"Your sense of smell is adept indeed. Almost as astute as a dragon's. I'm impressed."

From the moment they recognised the stranger, Loke never stopped snarling. His hackles were raised, his animosity palpable in every grating sound leaving his lips.

Gray's lips thinned as he looked past the lion spirit. "Hello to you, too, Laxus."

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><p>Surprised? I wonder what Laxus is doing there? x3<p>

** Reviews are love!**


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